


Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

by Ranchod_Tunnell



Category: Free!
Genre: (mostly students and teachers that don't matter), Even Though Nagisa's Not An Idiot, M/M, Pre-Iwatobi High School, Reader-Insert, Tutoring, male!reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2018-11-05 09:30:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11010678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ranchod_Tunnell/pseuds/Ranchod_Tunnell
Summary: Honestly, tutoring was hard enough without him trying to get into your pants.(Aka, Nagisa is possessed ofunsurprising skills in getting what he wants...)





	1. And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is really just an idea that came to me randomly from watching Eternal Summer and finding out Nagisa's some butt in just about every subject even though he went to a prep school. Let's see where it goes.

            “It’s not funny!” Your childhood friend, Naku Yanagi, practically screeched. He glared angrily at Nonami Yubi who was smiling widely at the pale boy sprawled across the classroom floor. You tried to stifle your own amusement for Naku’s sake but Sukopi Onteiru had no such qualms.

 

            She smirked and crossed her arms, “It totally is.”                        

 

            “No, it’s not!” Naku insisted as he scrambled on his knees to his overturned chair.

 

            “No, you’re right,” Nonami seemed to agree but something about his smile was off and his eyes glittered dangerously. “It was _hilarious_ …!”

 

            You couldn’t contain your laughter anymore and joined in with your classmates. Naku’s face reddened as he climbed back into his seat, “Stop _laughing_!”

 

            It was as if no one had heard him. You almost felt bad. Nonami paused long enough to breathe, “You should have listened to Renjiba-sensei when she told you to stop tipping your chair backwards.”

 

            “Oh, _shut up_ , Yubi!”

 

            “Gentlemen!” Your group--minus Onteiru of course as she was fearless and a girl—jumped and cowered at the commanding voice of your homeroom teacher.

            Miss. Buruburi Renjiba—the queen bee of Tiroze Gakuen if there ever was one. Her slitted peach-colored eyes glared at you all with dazzling intensity.

 

            “That’s quite enough,” she said, focusing more on Nonami and Naku than you.

 

            “Yes, ma’am,” you all chorused before settling into a fearful silence. Onteiru’s taunting smirk was studiously ignored. You honestly expected that to be the end but her sharp gaze remained.

 

            “[Full Name].”

 

            Your shoulders tensed, “Yes, ma’am?”

 

            Nonami dared to toss a concerned look your way…

 

            “I need to speak with you.” She turned away without further preamble, fully expecting to be obeyed without question.

 

            It was easier to breathe without her eyes piercing into your soul. Those around you relaxed and even dared to lean in curiously to whisper, “What do you think she wants?”

 

            “I don’t know,” you replied earnestly. “I hope I’m not in trouble.”

 

            If you expected a sympathetic response, you were severely disappointed. Naku scoffed and Onteiru snorted and even your faithful Nonami seemed nonplussed, “I doubt it. You never get in trouble, [Name].”

 

            Nonami’s words filled Naku’s mouth with a foul taste. The raven huffed and sneered, “That’s what comes with being a teacher’s pet.”

 

            You frowned, “I’m not a teacher’s pet.”

 

            “No, you’re right,” Nonami agreed and nodded his head. He didn’t get a chance to finish whatever he was saying because Onteiru piped up.

 

            “You’re _the_ teachers’ pet. Everybody loves you. You’re like the perfect student.”

 

            “No, I’m not,” you insisted as you shook your head and slowly brought your bag strap up on one shoulder. Were you? The question must’ve been on your face because your friend’s expressions shifted accordingly.

 

            Before any more of this could come to words, Miss Renjiba called out your name again imperiously. Without even thinking about it, you rose to your feet. “Coming!”

 

            Your friends smiled knowingly and you pursed your lips as you left your seat located behind them all.

 

            “Yes, Miss Renjiba?” You asked as you stopped a very respectable distance away from the incredibly short woman. She glanced at you from the corner of her eyes briefly before sighing heavily.

 

            “I need you to do something for me.”

 

            You dipped your head obediently. It wasn’t like you could say 'no' to her…

 

            The stress lines on her brow you hadn’t noticed before now eased and she dared to crack a ghost of a smile. It was disturbing honestly--like a bad omen--but you kept your cool.

 

            “There’s a student of ours that’s having a bit of trouble with the material we’re covering…” she began slowly. You waited patiently for her to continue but she didn’t so you hesitantly prompted her.

 

            “…Uhm…Which--?”

 

            “All of them actually,” she said conversationally. You blanched. “Well, except History. Or were you asking about the student?”

 

            “Ah--”

 

            “Nagisa Hazuki. He’s a year younger than you.” She looked up at you expectantly.

 

            It threw your nerves a little out of whack since you didn’t know exactly what she wanted from you. You were smart enough to take a guess though. As a straight A student for ten years and counting, this was hardly the first time someone's approached you with the hopes that you would bestow your mental genius upon those of their choosing. Still, there was a glaring problem that you felt you needed to address and it was best to do it now before it came up and stung you in the behind later.

 

            “A-Actually, Miss Renjiba, ma’am,” you began. She raised a severe eyebrow, expecting the worst. For some reason your heart leapt in your chest and a nervous sweat starting misting against your skin. ‘ _Honestly!_ ’ You thought to yourself as you swallowed your nerves. “I don’t think I’m the best person for this…I--”

 

            “Happen to be one of the smartest children this Academy has ever admitted, can ace any test without studying, remember equations after seeing them only once, memorize entire passages word for word and recite them back upon being prompted, finish your homework in school before you even go home…You even have the _gall_ to doodle in your margins because you’re so bored in class and not even because it’s dull material but simply because you _already know it_.” She began easily though her expression shifted into something a bit firmer. “You don’t have the same problems as the other students, [Name]. You don’t need to cram. You don’t need to study. You don’t need any help whatsoever. You’re gifted. Blessed. And you should share your talents with those who are less fortunate.”

 

            You cowered under her scolding and tried not to fret. That could wait until you were out of her presence, “But, ma’am, it’s not like that. I--”

 

            “And don’t try to tell me you’re too busy. Third years are generally barred from participating in clubs and I know you’re not spending any of that free time studying for your high school entrance exams.”

 

            She raised her eyebrows challengingly as if daring you to deny it. You sighed and dipped your head. You knew a losing battle when you saw one and it wasn’t like you had the balls to argue down the vice principal anyway.

 

            “…Of course, Miss Renjiba. I’ll do my best.”

 

            “I’d expect no less.” She smiled as much as she ever did and flicked her wrist dismissively. “That’s all for now. You’ll meet your new student after class. Now go on. Take your seat. Class is about to start.”

 

            You turned away obediently and not just a little dejectedly marched back to your seat surrounded on three sides by your closest friends.

 

            Naku leaned towards you as you passed, peering deeply into your face with glistening lavender eyes, “Whoa…Dude, you look like a dog just pissed in your rice!” Your lip twitched up in disgust. Similar expressions flashed over your remaining companions’ faces though Naku forged ahead shamelessly. “What’d she say to you?”

 

            “…She wants me to tutor some second year having trouble.” The three continued staring curiously into your own, clearly not understanding the problem. “But I have no idea how to do that. I _suck_ at teaching!”

 

            Nonami smiled sympathetically. Onteiru poked out her bottom lip in a pout. You couldn’t tell if she really felt for you or not but since she dug into her bag to hand you a mini chocolate bar you decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Naku pursed his mouth and tipped his head, “I don’t get it. Just say 'no' like you always do. It’s not a big deal.”

 

            “You don’t say ' _no'_ to Miss Renjiba. Everybody knows that,” Nonami explained with an annoyed roll of his ruby eyes. To be fair, he was right. Naku just wasn’t the best at paying attention. Nonami turned to you and smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry though. I’m sure it won’t be that bad. Did she tell you what they need help in?”

 

            “Everything but History…” you grumbled even as you suckled on your tiny piece of chocolate. You flinched at how overwhelmingly sweet it was. With a glance at Onteiru you said: “You know, you should really look into darker chocolates. This milk stuff is saccharine.”

 

            She ignored your criticism (or pretended to. You could bet that by next week, she’d have an updated stash much more tailored towards your tastes) in favor of offering up advice, “Just…give her a few pointers or something. Show her how to take good notes. It worked for me.”

 

            “Yeah except that _I’m_ the one that ended up taking the notes while _you_ just sleep all day…” Nonami said, only half-teasing.

 

            “What can I say? You’re a natural.” Onteiru smirked while Nonami rolled his eyes.

 

            “Well, at least it’s not History,” Naku interjected, bringing the conversation back around to its original topic.

 

            You slid your eyes over to him and blinked, “Yeah, you’re right. History is my hardest subject. I guess I sorta lucked out, huh?”

 

            Onteiru rolled her eyes. “You mean it’s the one subject you have to actually use your brain for.”

 

            “All the dates, names, and time periods confuse me.” You replied. “There’s too many--”

           

            “What’s their name? Did she tell you?”

 

            Nonami cut his eyes at the raven, "He already said. It's--"

 

            “Nagisa Hazuki," you interjected before Nonami could say something that pissed Naku off. He was already sore about falling out of his chair earlier and being laughed at. You didn't think he'd be up for much more from the violet-haired teenager.

 

            “Awesome, dude! You got a girl! How sweet is that? You think she’s cute?” Naku inquired eagerly.

 

            You grinned and licked your lips to rid yourself of any lingering candy, “Hope so. It won’t suck nearly as bad then.” Naku huffed a laugh and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Nonami scowled and looked ready to punch him. Onteiru actually did. You smirked at his pained yelp and shook your head. “Not like that, Naku-kun. You’re such a perv.”

 

            “Yeah, whatever. Just send her my way after you let her down easy.” He groused and turned away from you all. The bell rang just then and all of you jumped and prepared yourself for your classes for the day.

 

            “At least try first, [Name],” Nonami implored when the others were distracted. You suspected he was less concerned about you than he was about the girl and Naku’s tendencies if his baleful glaring at the unsuspecting raven was any indication.

 

            You forced a smile.

 

            “I’ll do my best,” you promised.


	2. First Meeting

            Miss Renjiba decided after school would be the best time to meet. You had no qualms with this. You just hoped the person you were tutoring was as agreeable. There was nothing more frustrating than trying to help someone who didn’t want to be helped. Logically you supposed that was precisely what you should be hoping for. At least that way, you could get out of this mess by blaming it on the other party’s unwillingness. Still, you weren’t cruel: if someone really needed your help you wouldn’t try to get out of it so tastelessly. If anything, you only wanted to get out of _this_ situation because you doubted your own abilities to help.

            You didn’t really know what to expect when you stepped into one of the second year classrooms after Miss Renjiba. (You’d chosen to go to the new student since you suspected she might be a little intimidated stepping into a room full of upperclassmen.) Most second and third years fell into either one of two extreme categories: they were either trying to live it up as best they could now since next year would initiate absolute lockdown on everything but their academic lives or they were already there and passing their days as high-strung little stress mobs, obsessed with how the next two years would affect the rest of their lives. The only ones who were truly unconcerned with their grades and exam scores were those whose parents already had a life ready for them to step right into once they graduated and/or ones whose parents had enough money for them to remain in the Academy throughout their high school years which nullified any and all academic pressures whatsoever.

            There was no telling which one Nagisa Hazuki belonged to. It was hardly uncommon for people’s grades to slip because they were spoiled by the promises of their parents. It was also pretty normal to see someone stressing over slightly undesirable marks because they were trying to reach some goal or another. Neither were particularly original but one was certainly more tolerable than the other…

            Miss Renjiba strode right in and settled at the desk while another faculty member and a single student stood at attention in front of her. The rest were milling about with various levels of curiosity—debating on whether or not they should risk being nosy.

            You stepped forward and bowed politely to the group.

            Miss Renjiba turned her orange eyes away from staring holes into the little second year. They shimmered with something that might be described as approval but she was so stoic you could never be sure…

 

            “Ah. Good. You’re already prepared,” she said.

 

            “Yes, ma’am,” the teacher responded.

 

            Miss Renjiba continued on as if he hadn’t said a word. Gesturing to the pair before her, she looked to you and said, “I’m sure you remember Mr. Suton…”

 

            “Yes, ma’am,” you said to her before bowing your head politely to your old math teacher.

 

            He was meticulous even by Tirozu’s standards with his carefully-crafted medium-length, straight brown hair and matching mustache. His beady blue eyes gazed out at you from a short body held as rigidly as a statue.

 

            “You should. It’s not even halfway into a new school year,” he sniffed as well as any stoic sculpture could. His blue eyes slid gratingly over to the boy standing at his side and hardened a little. “This is my student, Nagisa Hazuki.”

 

            Your eyebrows raise a little in surprise. You’d been expecting a girl by the name. This boy, while he was as cute as one, was very clearly a male. His light, strawberry blond hair fell in faint though thick waves around his head. He did nothing to keep the strands out of his large magenta eyes. He wasn’t much shorter than you—maybe an inch or two--but his shoulders were a little stronger and broader than yours.

 

            “You’ll be tutoring him from now on.”

 

            You nodded your head in understanding and turned your eyes back to your blond charge.

 

            “Hi,” you said simply with what you hoped was a friendly smile. He glanced up only briefly from where he was gazing morosely at the floor. Your smile softened sympathetically.

 

            You’d expected either a spoiled brat or an obsessive scholar but after seeing Nagisa Hazuki up close, you suspected he fit into that rare third category of ‘bad’ students: the one for people who couldn’t thrive under Tirozu’s grueling regimen no matter how hard they tried. It wasn’t hard to imagine with a teacher like Mr. Suton and you'd bet his other teachers weren’t very forgiving either. You just hoped their cynical attitudes hadn’t rubbed off too badly on him.

 

            “Here are some of his previous assignments from all of his classes,” the teacher continued. He held out a small stack of papers to you and continued speaking before you could so much as glance at them. “They should give you some idea on how much work needs to be done. I expect to see great results.”

 

            “Of course,” you bowed your head as you were dismissed.


	3. First Meeting II

            It was starting to hit you hard. You never did do very well under pressure and there was _a_ _lot_ of it.

            That first real examination of the papers Mr. Suton handed you nearly caused your soul to flee your body. You didn’t think it was possible to be this bad. Students could get five points on an assignment by just writing their name on the top of a page so how did Nagisa Hazuki get a _three_?

            You glanced at the blond who’d been silently watching you organize the mass of papers on the library table between you up til now. He didn’t strike you as the idiotic type but there was clearly _something_ wrong if _this_ was the best he could do. You wanted to ask him flat-out if he was even trying but that would be rude and he already looked a little depressed…

 

            You sighed mentally before working up an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry, Hazuki-kun, but…I’m afraid I don’t even know where to start.”

 

            “It’s okay. I don’t either,” he responded. It shocked you a little. You didn’t expect such a sound to come from him. It was a very…unique voice for one and for another he hadn’t seemed up for conversation before now.

 

            Still, his words eased a little of your discomfort. “I guess we could start with a simple introduction…They told me your name but I’m [Full Name] in case they hadn’t said. I’m a third year in class 3-1…” You trailed off. Hazuki simply stared at you with those big pink eyes…You leaned forward onto your crossed forearms and tilted your head. “You must be really important if your parents got the school to find you a tutor. They’d usually just send you to cram sessions or something after club activities.”

 

            His lips curled up into a strained smile, “No, it’s nothing like that. They’re just really upset. Suton-sensei says it’s not his fault and decided to prove it so they found you to make sure it’s me and not them that’s responsible for my bad grades...”

 

            You looked back down at the papers spread out before you and frowned at the low numbers. 27, 38, 45, 22…nothing over 69 percent…You sighed, shoulders unconsciously sagging, and scratched at your scalp, “Unfortunately, I’m not the best at teaching…”

 

            Hazuki marked your motions and wilted, too. “…Do you think he’s right? Do you think I’m just stupid?”

           

            Your frown deepened and you looked back up at Hazuki with a sharp gaze. He didn’t flinch but his eyes did become more guarded. You tried to reign it in and shook your head, “I don’t think anyone’s _stupid_ and if that’s what he’s told you then that’s wildly inappropriate and he’s failed as your teacher.”

 

            That perked him up a bit and he leaned forward excitedly, “Really? So you think it’s his fault I’m doing so bad in class?”

 

            You laughed at his exuberance and shook your head, “Uh…No. It’s a bit more complicated than that…still I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault if they have trouble learning…It's different for everyone from what I understand. There are a lot of different reasons why, of course, so we’ll have to figure out why you’re not getting it but yeah; not everyone does it the same. I have a friend who learns just by rereading my other friend’s notes as long as they’re taken well and there’s this other guy who has to review the work over and over to get it…”

 

            Hazuki gazed at you with bright pink eyes, “How do _you_ learn things?”

 

            “Me? Well I’m mostly a visual person.” There was a light building inside his eyes now that wasn’t there before. He was obviously confused but you had caught his attention all the same so you smiled and elaborated. “That means I learn things best by just watching someone do something or by reading it...anything with the eyes but I’ve had to learn to do it the way Tirozu likes it.” Hazuki tipped his head to the side. “So that’s, like, the classic lecture strategy for teaching material since there’s so much to cover which is mostly audial with the occasional visual aid….Ah, that is: they speak, you listen, you learn.” He was still staring at you though now there was a slight twitch in his brow. You swallowed and hoped your smile still looked natural. “You’ll just have to try harder--”

 

            He frowned then. “It doesn’t matter how hard I try! It’s still hard and doesn’t make any sense and they move too fast--”

 

            “Then we just find a different way for you to get it, that’s all.”

 

            “Okay, and how’s that?” He pressed almost petulantly. You hesitated. Honestly it felt like you’d stepped on a landmine or something. Clearly this was a touchy subject that had been handled badly before. To top it off, you were drawing a blank because you’d already learned how to learn by simply listening to people talk and it wasn’t something you could teach. You just did it and it wasn’t hard for you. Like most other things in life, it had just clicked and stayed.

           

            Hazuki's expression was expectant but you found you could only smile sheepishly and shrug, “I’m not sure…”

 

            “Gah!” He wailed and threw himself backwards in his chair. It teetered dangerously and you started to reach out instinctively but it balanced itself without trouble.

 

            You sighed in relief and glanced around. Your eyes connected with the librarian’s and you winced, “Hazuki-kun, please, be quiet. We’re in a library.”

 

            “Yeah, but that makes no sense! How are you supposed to be the smartest kid in school but you don’t know how to help _me_ be smart?”

 

            “You’re not dumb,” you insisted. “And I’m not the smartest kid in school.”

 

            “So you haven’t gotten perfect scores in school since you started?” He asked it innocently but it still seemed like an accusation by nature. You might have wondered where he'd heard such a thing if it wasn't a lie but as it was truth, your subconscious ignored it. 

 

            You warbled noncommittally and waved your hand, “That’s not the point. The point _is_ that we must _both_ actually _try_ before giving up.”

 

            “Well, it’s kind of hard to try when you don’t even know what we’re trying to do…” His tone was sharp but there was something in his expression that drove you away from indignation. Mostly anyway.

 

            “I do,” you said firmly. Normally you’d probably be put off by his doubtful sulking but--as you were quickly learning--Hazuki had a way of making it look cute rather than bratty. “We’re going to try figuring out what kind of learner you are.”

 

            “How’s that going to help me?”

 

            “Well obviously once we figure out how you learn, we’ll figure out how to reteach you things in a way you can understand. So! Let’s start!” You chirped and looked out across the table with renewed vigor. “What would you say your worst subject is?”

 

            He tilted his head, “Wait, we’re starting _today_? _Now_?”

 

            “Yes. It’s always best to tackle these sorts of problems early. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. So? Which is it? Judging from these scores, I’d say science--”

 

            “What’s my worst subject have to do with teaching me how to learn?”

 

            “Please stop ignoring the question,” you instructed. Here you were actually trying to help this kid with something you were mostly clueless about and he was still going on about the previous topic. Honestly you didn’t know if that counted as a problem with listening, focus, or procrastination but that was one of the first things that needed to be worked on if you could fix nothing else.

 

            “It’s math~” He admitted with a puffy-cheeked pout.

 

            “Okay and what’s so hard about it?” You were genuinely curious since math was literally the easiest subject in school. There was only ever one right answer and more than half the time, an equation was already given to you. It was just a matter of using it the right way.

 

            “Everything!”

 

            “Hush,” you admonished and sifted through the pile of math papers you’d been given. The scores weren’t nearly as bad as the science ones though they certainly didn’t compare to the other subjects he was failing in. “And I’m going to need more to work with than that.”

 

            He murmured to himself and furrowed his brows, “…I guess it’s all the letters and shapes. I don’t get why they have to be there and what they have to do with numbers.”

 

            “…” Your brow furrowed as you gazed down at the papers spread before you…

 

            A familiar sensation tickled the abstract parts of your brain. A blooming sensation, like a flower unfurling or a sprout emerging from the soil for the very first time. It was the same thing you felt right before you committed something to memory, right before you solved a problem, right before everything suddenly made _sense_ in class. Granted it was usually much faster than this—almost instantaneous really—and this slow pace frustrated you a little but you’d forged ahead regardless; sure that following that tiny inkling would lead you to the answer you needed. It _usually_ did anyway…

 

            “Okay, and why is Social Studies so hard? You’re taking government right?”

 

            Another thoughtful hum, “…Uh, I guess it’s because they use so many vocabulary words and I can’t remember what all of them mean. I mean, I know what the _words_ mean but I don’t get what they mean in government…Does that make sense?”

 

            His face clouded with worry but you brushed it aside and moved on to the next subject, “Yes, actually. And Japanese?”

 

            “All of it! I can’t figure out why it has to be _this_ way instead of _that_ way. Why can’t it be another way than the way sensei says it is and how can you tell it’s supposed to be  _that_ way to begin with?” He cried, distressed at the very thought. The librarian was getting quite distressed herself. You sent her an apologetic smile and bowed before turning back to your anxious pupil.

 

            “Hush, _please_ , Hazuki-kun. It’s a library.” You grinned despite yourself at his fussy expression. You were starting to notice a pattern. “And science? You’re doing Earth Science, yeah? I bet that’s hard just because the world itself is just so big, huh?”

 

            “Exactly!” You chuckled and nodded your head as the gears stopped turning.

 

            “I figured out your problem.”

 

            He gasped and leaned forward again, “Really? That fast? That’s amazing, senpai!”

 

            You brushed off the compliment in favor of gathering up his papers back into a neat stack, “Yeah. You’re too focused on the fundamentals of each subject. Instead of answering what’s, I don’t know, 2x-1, you’re more interested in figuring out what ‘x’ is not as a number but as a real thing. In Japanese, you’re more interested in how those rules for language were made in the first place than how to remember and use them. It’s the same in social studies and in science, too. I bet you’re just more focused on why it’s one way than trying to learn what’s already established. You’re kind of jumping the gun but in the wrong order. You’re too focused on the small things.”

 

            “But what’s that _mean_?”

 

            “‘What’s it mean?’” You parroted and thought. That was such a broad question with so many answers but you chose to assuage the biggest fear for now: “Well, for one it means you aren’t stupid. You’re actually theoretically smarter than most other people since you’re actively questioning why something is rather than just blindly accepting a bunch of things people tell you is right. But since that’s not what Tirozu wants you to do, you hit a wall. A pretty big one actually.”

 

            “So how do we fix it?”

 

            You blinked, “Well…you don’t. Or rather I don’t know how.”

 

            “You don’t know a lot of things to be so smart.” You didn’t bother pointing out that it was actually a mark of intelligence—being able to admit when one doesn’t know something. It meant that he or she could start searching for an answer. That wasn’t what was most important at the moment though. He was getting frustrated. You could tell. Still he’d insulted you so carelessly you couldn’t even get offended. You were more surprised than anything. Nothing about him seemed malicious. He just didn’t quite have a handle on the filter between his brain and his loud mouth.

 

            “Hey there! I never said I knew _everything_. Still, I _do_ know—or at least I guess—that you don’t have trouble learning so much as you have a problem focusing on the right things. All we have to do is get you to switch your focus to the same things as your teachers’ and you should be fine.” He opened his mouth to speak and you could tell by his expression that it was going to be a complaint of some sort so you frowned and sat up straighter. “I don’t want to hear you ask ‘how’ because I don’t _know_ yet. Just…meet me after school tomorrow and hopefully by then I’ll have thought of something…Most likely we’ll just have to go over everything you learn every day until you get it but--”

 

            “Wait! Does that mean I have to sit through school _twice_?! No!” He whined and extended his torso across the expanse of the table. You lips quirked up at the corners even as you scolded him for his volume. Honestly, he was a bit too much…

 

            But you kind of liked it.

            He was different at the very least.

            Cute and quirky and much more personable than the other students. It was a nice change that was honestly more in line with your own personality than the stoic nature constantly imposed on everyone.

            It was irrational. You’d only just met. You didn’t know anything about this kid except that he was failing just about every class. And yet you felt like you could relax a little around him. How…intriguing.

            You smiled and rose from your seat, “Yeah, well, at least the second time around should work better for you. Now get out of here before the librarian gets too angry.”


	4. Convene

            “Hey, [Name]. How’d the tutoring go?” Nonami asked you as he sat next to you on the train. He lived two stops further from the school than you did which never failed to piss Naku off since he lived close enough to walk. Ever since you became friends with Nonami the raven had felt a little neglected and resented any and all similarities you shared with the purple-haired male. He especially hated it when the two of you could do things without him like ride the train home. You suspected the very same made Nonami that much smugger in the grand scheme of things…You never did understand the nuances of rivalry.

           

            “Good afternoon, Nonami. It went…well, actually.”

 

            The boy tilted his head in surprise, causing his vibrant, curly, purple ponytail to bend over his shoulder, “Really? I knew you could do it! Was that it then? You’re finished?”

 

            You resisted the urge to snort and instead shook your head, your own curly, (color) ponytail swishing against the back of your neck, “Not hardly. The only thing we really figured out this time was that he has trouble learning from just being spoken to and that he gets distracted by tiny details instead of looking at the big picture.”

 

            “Wait. He?” One of Nonami’s thick sculpted eyebrows twitched downwards, “I thought you said you were tutoring a girl?”

 

            “Oh, well, we assumed it was because his name is Nagisa but…” you trailed off with a shrug and Nonami nodded his understanding.

 

            “So you have to meet with him again?”

 

            “Yeah. I planned to tomorrow actually.” Nonami raised his eyebrows as if to ask ‘so soon?’ and you furrowed your own lightly. “I don’t have anything else to do so why not?”

 

            “Oh, I’m not judging you. It’s just earlier you seemed so against it I thought you’d try to find a way out of it. I’m just wondering what changed.”

 

            “…” You didn’t say anything for a time. What _had_ changed?

 

           You supposed it all had to do with his demeanor. He’d seemed so dejected when you first saw him. So dead and hopeless. Like a person walking a plank just waiting for that fateful step where there wouldn’t be anything but roiling waves below to meet them. It remained, that dull look in his eyes, until you’d uncovered the mystery behind why he couldn’t grasp the material. Then his senses flared with a faint spark. There was an energy and a light there that was rekindled. Granted most of it was frustration directed at you but you also saw a bit of something else. A hope that you had fostered and couldn’t bring yourself to abandon so easily. Not if it meant he went back to that lifeless thing he was before. There were enough people in the world like that without adding someone so refreshing into their depressing midst. It’d be a waste.

 

            “I don’t know. I just feel like I should help him even if I don’t know exactly what I’m doing.”

 

            Nonami smiled easily, “You doubt yourself too much. You trained dogs didn’t you?”

 

            Your smile shifted, “Well, yeah, but teaching a dog to sit isn’t exactly the same as teaching someone Algebra, Nonami…Besides I don’t think anyone would appreciate being treated like a pet.”

 

            “I’m not saying to treat him like one. I’m just saying how did you get your dogs to listen to you when they were puppies?”

 

            “Lots of patience, lots of repetition, and lots of treats.”

 

            Nonami raised his eyebrows and stared at you, imploring you to make the connection. It wasn’t hard. It was actually a good suggestion all things considered but still…The purple-haired boy nudged you gently with his elbow, “Hey, you’re not treating him like a pet. You’re just using the same teaching methods as you would _with_ a pet. Lots of encouragement, praise…a treat when he does something right. It worked when we were in kindergarten.”

 

            You nodded your head in acquiesce, “Yeah, that’s true but we’re not in kindergarten anymore.”

 

            “So? You think age matters? I guarantee you that if teachers started giving out prizes for doing well in class, most of us would be on the honor roll.”

 

            “Won’t he just learn to appease people then instead of actually wanting to learn anything?”

 

            The purple-haired boy sobered up a little when he noticed your discomfort, “Listen. Your job is to help him get his grades up, not to raise him into a model citizen.”

 

            “Yes, I know but still…Bribery just seems like a lame cop out, you know? It’s how you train animals, sure, but that’s because that’s how they learn. People--”

 

            “--Are animals, too, last I checked. Just _sometimes_ not as dumb and smelly. Besides, we all learn pretty much the same way animals do. See, I’m reading this psychology book and it says when we learn something, even if there’s not a physical reward like candy or something, our brains respond better to positive results. If we try something and the result is bad we’re less likely to do it but if we try something and it’s good we’re more likely to do it that way again. It’s like one of the foundations of our personalities. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, things like that as far as I understand. It makes sense too because honestly why _would_ you like, I don’t know, skateboarding or something if the first couple of times you tried you busted your ass?”

 

            You nodded your head, “And why would Hazuki want to try harder if nothing good ever came out of it. I get it. It just doesn’t feel right.”

 

            You could tell he was starting to get a little tired of trying to prove his point. It was the same reason why he disliked Naku so much and dealing with him daily meant there wasn’t as much patience left for you at the end. “Okay, well, do you have any other plan for getting him to work harder? Because you’ve established you suck at teaching and I don’t know any other way to get someone to do what you want besides give them what _they_ want.”

 

            “Not really…” You admitted. You supposed there was always the option to try and force it but that was the tactic everyone making him feel insecure was already employing and it wasn’t working.  

 

            “Then find out what he likes and use it as a bargaining chip. Anyone can do anything if they want it bad enough and I hardly think _you_ need for his grades to go up as much as he does.”


	5. Second Meeting

            You were kind but you were smart, too, and you’d long since learned that people liked to take advantage of kind people. You’d asked Hazuki to meet you after classes to start tutoring in earnest but you had no such delusions that he’d actually come. It just didn’t often work out that way so rather than waste time waiting for him to hopefully show up, you stopped by his classroom on your way to the library.

            Mr. Suton was there but he paid you no attention when you stepped in. You spotted your blonde charge almost immediately. Oppression had settled back over his frame: seeping into his shoulders and attaching boulders to his limbs; sucking the life out of his face until all that was left was a weary sadness in his eyes…Surrounded by so many happier students clustered in talkative groups only made him seem that much more isolated and caged in. He was talking to no one and no one bothered to talk to him. It made something in your gut twist—the same way it did when your sister came home from work with another mutilated animal for you to take care of.

            You tried to force it back as you approached him with a small smile, “Hello, Hazuki-kun. How are you today?”

 

            He blinked and turned his head to gaze at you curiously. When he recognized you though, his face fell into a pout, “Aww, I thought you might have forgotten…”

 

            You raised your eyebrows in amusement despite yourself, “Really?”

 

            He smiled sheepishly and went back to packing up his bag, “It _was_ kind of stupid, right? I mean of course you of all people wouldn’t forget.”

 

            You allowed your smile to drop as he focused on gathering his things. You couldn’t tell if he was being a smart ass or if he really thought that highly of you. The way he’d said it had been so offhanded. You decided not to comment on it, though, and instead waited patiently for him to clean up his desk, “Are you ready?”

 

            “As I’ll ever be.”

 

            “You know, you should really be more optimistic about this, Hazuki-kun. I’m here to help after all,” you commented lightly as you made your way through the halls.

 

            “Then can I call you by your first name?”

 

            Your head automatically ticked to the side and you glanced at him in confusion, “Why?” He seemed to wrestle with himself a little at your reaction so you turned your eyes away from him to focus on where you were going. “I don’t mind it’s just a little weird considering we just met.”

 

            “Well won’t it be weird if I keep calling you by your last name even though we’re going to be working together a lot now?”

 

            “Um…no. Not really.” There were some people you’d been in class with since you started middle school and you still didn’t call them by their first names. Was he a foreigner or something? Maybe that was why it would seem strange to him. That could also explain why he found the workload so heavy…

 

            “Well, I don’t like to call my friends by their last names so I want to use your first name.” He declared with a heavy grin. There was no way you could say no under the weight of such a stare. Not that you really had a mind to anyway. Besides what he called you was the lesser of the two topics he’d just brought up.

 

            “Oh, so we’re friends now?” You asked him lightly, glancing over at him with a small smile.

 

            “Well, not yet…but we will be! That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” He gazed up at you eagerly and you found you could do naught but smile. He really was rather simple, wasn’t he? So much so that he made things complicated.

 

            You closed your eyes and nodded your head, “Sure. Okay. But until then, find a place for –san in there somewhere, would you?”

 

            “Awww, but –chan is cuter!”

 

            You winced, “Baby steps, Hazuki--”

 

            “Call me Nagisa!”

 

            You sighed good-naturedly and held open the library door for him, “Alright, alright, now go in and try to be quiet this time, okay?”

 

            “No problem!” He chirped and strolled in. You followed after.

 

            “Where would you like to sit?”

 

            “Does it matter?”

 

            You blinked, “Not really but comfort does play a factor in how well some people concentrate…” You glanced around the sizeable reading room and started to scope out a seat.

 

            “Let’s go sit by a window!” Nagisa demanded and started off in one direction. You followed after him easily.

 

            “You sit by the window in your classes, too, don’t you?” You asked as he sat down and you settled next to him.

 

            “Yeah. I like being able to see outside. I don’t feel so closed off from everybody that way.”

 

            Your brows furrowed a little but you didn’t pry. It was probably a personal problem and you didn’t want to seem nosey even if Nagisa did want for you to try and be friends. “So did you figure out how you’re going to help me?”

 

            “I…have some ideas,” you stated cryptically. Immediately your thoughts went to Nonami’s suggestion from yesterday…It was good but you still wanted to try other avenues before you resorted to bribes. “Come. Show me what you guys were working on today?”

 

            Nagisa made a small sound in his throat before turning to withdraw notebooks and worksheets from his backpack. You scattered them out between you and sighed softly, “Okay…let’s start with the easiest and work our way down. That’s Japanese if I remember correctly so let’s start there.”

 

            Nagisa watched you curiously as you flipped through his papers and turned pages in his textbooks and leaned forward to start asking him questions about the material, “Why do they call it Japanese when it’s really just a bunch of reading and answering questions?”

 

            You paused only briefly in trying to get him to read an excerpt. You couldn’t tell if he really wanted an answer or not but you responded anyway with a question of your own, “Well, what language is all of the reading in?”

 

            Nagisa stuck out his tongue, “You know what I mean!”

 

            You pursed your lips at his volume but otherwise answered his question without too much trouble, “There’s a lot more to language than just learning words and phrases. You have to learn the rules for grammar and sentence structures and a good way to do that is to read and think about exactly what it is that you’re reading. It helps your vocabulary and getting you to understand more complex ideas so that you’ll be able to form your own.”

 

            “Who says I want to do that?” He challenged.

 

            “Who says you don’t?” He blinked up at you in surprise. You shrugged. “Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?”

 

            “Yeah,” he said almost snidely. “I want to be a treasure hunter!”

 

            You tried not to let your expression change too much at such a declaration. Your eyebrows did twitch but your voice was thankfully neutral when you asked, “And are you one hundred percent sure that you’ll be able to do that?”

 

            That bright light didn’t leave his eyes. It wasn’t that you wanted it to either per se…It was just that he _had_ to know such a thing was almost impossible. Before he could open his mouth to say anything more you rephrased, “Do you know without a doubt that that’s what you’ll get to be when you grow up? Do you know that you’ll have that job waiting for you when you graduate middle school? Is it at all possible that you might have to do something else with your life before you get to go treasure hunting?”

 

            He hesitated a little…and then seemed to get angry that he’d had the nerve to do so. Indignation built up in his shoulders and eyebrows. His pink eyes blazed as he glared at you and his lips parted--no doubt with the intent to call you out on some offense or another. You might have let him if you weren’t in a library. After all you were pretty sure people had tried to shut down his dreams many times before and you were just the latest threat to it. You smiled as pleasantly as you could manage and leaned a little closer to him, “That’s what everyone else is worried about. That’s why you need to learn all of this so that you have something to fall back onto if you can’t make it in life right away with your first choice. It’s a school’s job to make sure you’re ready for life after this especially since you chose a prep school. I mean, come on, Nagisa-san”

 

            His brows furrowed and he gazed at you with a troubled expression. You were pleased to see the tension bleed from his body but you weren’t so happy to see it replaced with sadness. Your heart started to ache for him…

 

            …Until he opened his mouth and started whining, “But it’s so boring!”

 

            “Well, that’s too bad. Life’s not always so fun.” You frowned lightly and pointedly nudged the book closer to him. He made a show of pouting and picked the book up grudgingly. You managed to maintain your stern expression long enough for him to start reading his passages to you out loud. “Good. Now what would you say is the topic of that paragraph?”

 

            He glanced at you. For a moment you thought you were getting somewhere and so you smiled…, “Hey, what do _you_ want to be when you grow up?”

 

            You sighed and rested your chin in your hand.

 

             “Really?” You asked him irritably.

 

            “What?” He said defensively. “I’m just trying to get to know you better since we’re--”

 

            “No, you’re stalling which is quite frankly kind of rude. We’ll be here all night at this rate. Do you _really_ want to spend all your time with this? Because _I_ don’t.”

 

            The anger was back. “Well, no one asked you to help me.”

 

            “Actually, they did. That’s why I’m here. And I genuinely want to help you because I feel really bad for you but I can’t help someone who doesn’t want help in the first place,” you explained patiently.

 

            And to your utmost surprise, _tears_ started to gather in his eyes. It wasn’t enough to count as crying, it wasn’t even enough to pool in his ducts but his eyes _were_ glistening and wet and it just made you feel that much worse…“I _do_ want your help! It’s just _hard_!”

 

            You puffed your cheeks full of air and sighed lightly through your nose…Nagisa gazed at you anxiously for a moment before a small smile pulled at his lips. He reached a finger out and poked your full cheeks. You quirked a brow but couldn’t stop the grin at his resulting bright smile.

 

            You chewed on your lip for a moment before releasing it and leaning forward onto the table, “…Okay, Nagisa, I’ll make you a deal. If you work hard for me during our time together, I’ll give you something when it’s all over. Like a reward. How’s that?”

 

            His eyes practically burst into a neon display of pink and magenta, he was so excited. He latched onto your arm and you tensed at the unexpected contact but he paid it no mind and leaned in even further against your side, “Really?! Like what?”

 

            “I don’t know.” You shrugged, partially because you didn’t know but also to maybe subtly get him to release you…“What do you want?”

 

            He glanced down, drumming his fingers against your upperarm as he thought. His grip subconsciously tightened when you tried to shift away from him. You resigned yourself to this with an internal sigh.

 

             “Well?” You prompted.

 

            He glanced at you, then away, and then furrowed his brows and turned his eyes to you again, “It doesn’t always have to be the same thing all the time, does it? I can ask for something else later?”

 

            “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

 

            “Then can I eat lunch with you?”

 

            You blinked down at him in surprise, “I…Sure, but…Nagisa-san, don’t you want to eat lunch with your own friends? I’m just your tutor…”

 

             He smiled but it was an odd thing that made you even more uncomfortable than his hold on your arm, “I would but they go to a different school than me and I don’t really have any friends here.”

 

            “Why?” You couldn’t imagine Nagisa as a loner. Sure, he was rambunctious and a little too presumptuous and kind of spacey but on him it was cute rather than annoying. Or at least you thought so…

 

             Nagisa shrugged and it felt odd with him still pressed against your side, “They’re all really snobby and uptight…I’d rather hang out with you!”

 

            “And how do you know _I’m_ not snobby and uptight? You don’t know really anything about me--”

 

            “You don’t feel that way to me.” He said easily. His words only made you that much more aware of just how close he was to you and you shifted uncomfortably. You cleared your throat and glanced away from him to stare blankly at the books spread out before you.

 

            “Well, okay, but that’s hardly a reward, is it?”

 

            He grinned and finally released you to turn back to his books, “Don’t worry! I’ll think of something better later.”

 

            You inclined your head. “Alright then…Back to work or you’ll be back to eating alone.”

 

            You didn’t like saying such a thing. If he really wanted to eat with you, you would have let him even if he didn’t decide to work but you really needed him to so you kept your opinions under wraps for now.


	6. Converse

            “So where am I meeting you?” Nagisa chirped excitedly as you made your way out of the school building. It was getting late and you were drained. He didn’t seem to be which struck you as odd. You were the scholar after all; hard work should be easier for you. Then again, he said he _had_ been working hard. Constantly. It just never bore any fruit while you, on the other hand, usually had to apply a very minimum amount of effort.

 

           “Ah, I’ll come get you,” you said.

 

           He frowned and suddenly stood in your path, “You’re not lying, are you?”

 

            You gawked at the implication, “No! I swear. I just need time to prep my friends. They’re kind of rough around the edges. I mean, they won’t be mean to you or anything it’s just they’re not the best at being polite.” You tilted your head. “Well, Nonami is but Naku’s kind of…and Onteiru doesn’t care as much as she should so…”

 

            Nagisa laughed and you grinned uncomfortably, “It’s okay, [Name]-chan. I’m sure they’re great.”

 

            “Oh, they are. I love them very much,” you told him easily. You didn’t think your friends were _bad_ after all. It was just hard to describe them without resorting to negative adjectives.

 

            “So, tomorrow?” The blonde asked as a car pulled up in front of the school.

 

            You nodded your head and smiled, “Yeah. I’ll see you, Nagisa-san.”

 

            You kept up your pleasant expression until the car he was in was out of sight. Then it fell and you whipped out your phone as you stalked towards a train station. The call had barely connected before you were speaking, “Nonami, I need your help.”

 

            “ _Sure, [Name]_ ,” your best friend replied easily. You imagined he was smiling on the other end. “ _What’s up?_ ”

 

            “Where are you?”

 

            “ _At home. Sorry. I couldn’t wait for you today. I had a lot to take care of._ ”

 

            “No, no, it’s fine. We only just got out.”

 

 _“…You do realize it’s almost 7:30, right?_ ”

 

            “Yeah. Yeah, I know…” You sighed heavily and yanked your hair out of its ponytail. You were getting a headache.

 

            “ _So what’s the problem?_ ” Nonami inquired instead of pressing any further. You loved him for it.

 

            “Well, it’s not really a _problem_ , exactly…It’s more like I’m going to need your help making sure Naku and Onteiru don’t mentally scar my _pupil_ tomorrow.”

 

            The other boy laughed at the snobby way you said the word before asking, “ _Why? What’s happening?_ ”

 

            “Well, I took your advice and offered to give him treats for doing good work and he kinda wants his first one to be able to eat lunch with us.”

 

            “ _Aww…That’s cute!_ ” Nonami cooed. “… _That’s not really a treat, though, is it?_ ”

 

            You grinned, “That’s what I said but that’s what he wants so…” You supposed you could have mentioned that Nagisa felt a little lonely at school but you didn’t feel it was your place to say so you left it alone.

 

            “ _Well, I’m cool with it. Onteiru might cause a little drama since she’s not big on having her personal space invaded but I think only Naku’s going to be a real handful._ ”

 

            “I’ll handle him, don’t worry, just—try not to argue with him too much?” You wanted Nagisa to at least be able to enjoy lunch with you even if you were something of a consolation prize for him.

 

            Naturally, without knowing the full reason why you said what you did, the violet-haired male took offense to your words, “I’m _not the one who starts our arguments._ Maybe _if he weren’t so_ incorrigible _, we’d be able to converse like normal_ decent _people with differing opinions..._ ”

 

            “Yeah…There is _a lot_ of passive aggression there that I’m just going to pretend like I didn’t notice, okay?”

 

            “ _Sure. Whatever. That’s how it usually is, isn’t it?_ ”

 

            You sighed long-sufferingly, “Remember how you _just_ said you don’t start arguments…?” Nonami’s silence was telling. You smiled. “Besides you’re a big boy. You can take care of yourself, right?”

 

            “ _Don’t patronize me._ ”

 

            “I’m _not_! I’m trying to ask _nicely_ for your help but you’re being difficult!” You almost whined.

 

            “ _Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Look, I told you I had a lot going on today…_ ”

 

            “You did and _I’m_ sorry for adding to it but thank you for agreeing to help…You did agree, didn’t you?”

 

            “ _Yes_!” Nonami laughed. “ _I will help you keep our friends on their leashes while you bring in a new puppy to play._ ”

 

            “It’s sad something so simple has to be so complicated…”

 

            “ _Yes, well, simplicity is usually harder than the complex simply because there’s so little to work with_.”

 

            “Are you speaking from experience or have you been reading more psychology books?”

 

            “ _Maybe. Look, I’ve gotta go now but I’ll text you, alright?_ ”

 

            “No problem. Thanks. See you at school tomorrow.”

 

            “ _Yeah, most definitely. Have a good night._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's short, I know, but that's okay! It was necessary.


	7. Chow Down

            “So let me get this straight.”

 

            Naku started to speak but Nonami immediately cut him off rather irritably, “We’ve been over this three times already. It’s not so hard a concept to grasp.”

 

            “I’m just trying to figure out why he invited someone to eat with us without asking us first.”

 

            “Because he doesn’t have to! You’re not in charge of who he makes friends with.”

 

            “Well, _obviously_ , if he chooses to hang out with _you_ ,” Naku spat.

 

            Nonami glowered at the raven but refrained from saying anything more. Instead, he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead and sighed, “[Name], just go get Nagisa-san. Lunch will be over before Yanagi understands simple Japanese…”

 

            “Sure,” you agree as you turned away from your tiny group and started towards the second-year classrooms. You smiled sympathetically at your raven-haired friend as you passed. Nonami wasn’t exactly known for his patience and it didn’t help that you’d told him of the development the night before as you rode the train home. None of this was news to him and he was anxious to just get this thing started.

            Nagisa was waiting anxiously outside his classroom when you rounded the corner. You thought you’d have at least a second to prepare yourself but Nagisa seemed to sense your presence as soon as you appeared. His blazing pink eyes swiveled to meet your own (color) ones almost as if they were drawn to them by a magnet. Before a smile could even think to tug at your lips, the strawberry blonde had cleared the distance between you and was beaming brightly into your face, “[Name]-chan! You came!”

 

            “Of course, I did. I promised, didn’t I?” You say with an easy shrug and a matching grin. “You ready?”

 

            “Yeah! Where are we going?” He asked as he fell into step with you as you started back up the way you’d came. “Do you eat in your classroom or do you have a special spot?”

 

            “Sometimes. Most times, we eat in the classroom because Onteiru’s sleeping and it’s too much trouble to wake her.”

 

            “What’s the third year classrooms like?”

 

            You hummed, “Not much different from yours really. Why would you think they’d be any different?”

 

            He shrugged, “I don’t know. It just seems like they should be since you’re older than me. Is your special spot the roof?” He continued on before you could think of anything else to say in response.

 

            “No.”

 

            “Aww, that’s too bad. I think it’d be kinda cool.”

 

            “It is,” you agreed easily. “The first couple times. Then you realize there’s no middle ground up there. It’s either super hot or super cold and, well, Tirozu _does_ have a working thermostat so…”

 

            He chuckled good-naturedly, “Yeah, I can see that. How many people are eating with us?”

 

            “Just three,” you say as you stop in front of one of the classroom doors and beckon for him to step through first. “There. In the third row. See the guy with the purple hair?”

 

            The other students in your class give you a cursory glance as you passed but otherwise ignored your reappearance. Nagisa’s eyes widen when he spotted Nonami with his vibrant curls dancing at the back of his shoulders as he fussed at his raven counterparts. You noticed the blonde’s mouth opening and hurriedly drop yours close to his ear, “Don’t mention anything about him looking like a girl. He will hit you.”

 

            The prospect doesn’t seem to worry Nagisa who only turns to smile at you radiantly. Really, he seemed unnaturally pleased to be doing something as simple as eating, “Don’t worry. I was just going to ask if that was his real hair color. Is it?”

 

            You shrug, “As far as I know. Mind you I’ve never checked the other hairs on his body.” You say pointedly. Nagisa’s pink eyes widened and a giddy stunned grin split his face. You smirked slyly in response but quickly schooled your expression into something more neutral when three pairs of eyes turned to you. “Hey, guys. So: this is Nagisa Hazuki. Nagisa, this is--”

 

           “We can introduce ourselves,” Onteiru declares at the same time that Naku interjects with, “Hey, I thought it was supposed to be a girl?”

 

            Nonami groaned in a way that made you wonder if he hadn’t just spent the last couple of minutes trying to explain just that to the other male. It might have made you laugh if you weren’t so anxious to make a good first impression.

 

           “Right. Well…?” You trail off and gaze at the only female among you expectantly. She steps in smoothly, giving Nagisa a blatant once-over before flipping out a red licorice vine from her sleeve.

 

            “Hey there, Short Stuff. I’m Sukopi Onteiru. Call me anything other than my last name and I’ll choke you with this Twizzler, okay?”

 

            “Oh, my God,” Nonami murmurs as Nagisa’s expression goes a little slack.

 

            “Really?” You ask her. She doesn’t even bother to acknowledge that you’d spoken and instead flaps the little stick of sugar through the air in the blonde’s direction.

 

            “You can have it, though. I mean, unless you don’t like licorice. In that case, I’ve got gummies instead. [Name]-kun hates them so I always have too many to eat myself.” She shrugged.

 

            Naku wrinkles his eyebrows and regards his fellow raven critically, “Dude, what is wrong with you? I mean, even if he isn’t a girl, you still shouldn’t say shit like that.”

 

            “Wow. This coming from the guy who _just_ profaned in the same sentence in which he rebukes,” Nonami said dryly.

 

            “Cool,” you deadpan as Nagisa reaches out a hand and hesitantly procures the licorice stick Onteiru was snapping like a whip. “We’ve established my friends are heathens. Why don’t we go eat somewhere else?”

 

            You glare especially hard at Nonami as you turn away. He was supposed to be helping you curve their behavior and yet he’d so easily fallen prey to their antics.

 

            “Whoa, whoa, hey! You can’t go yet!” Naku squeaks. “I didn’t even get to say ‘hi’!” After saying as much, he promptly turns sideways in his seat and wiggles his eyebrows sensually at the younger male. “‘Sup. I’m Naku Yanagi. Great to meet you--”

 

            “Stop talking to him like you’re about to drop a pickup line!” Nonami groused as he slapped a hand down on the desk.

 

            Onteiru snorted and flipped open the lid to her lunch, “It wasn’t sounding like it’d be any good either.”

 

            “Aww, come on!” Naku deflated and sunk into his chair. He curled his fingers into the back of his seat and rested his chin over them as he pouted up into Onteiru’s dull eyes. “Cut me some slack! It’s been a slow month…”

 

            Ontieru regarded her companion with as much sympathy as an octopus might the crab it was tearing to bits. Still, in true Onteiru fashion, she lifted her chopsticks and touched a piece of sweet meat to his pouting lips in a show of sympathy. He perked up immediately and accepted the morsel. No one turned down her cooking after all. It was superb.

 

            You sighed heavily and dug your fingers through the base of your ponytail to scratch at your scalp, “Are you sure you don’t want to go?”

 

            Nagisa shook his head. You pursed your lips, “Are you sure? If they’re making you uncomfortable--”

 

            “Nah, it’s really okay,” he said breezily. “I like them.”

 

            “Really.” You and Nonami chorused together rather blandly. You were a little relieved by his words but Nonami seemed dubious. He met Nagisa’s raspberry eyes with his own ruby ones for a moment before closing them and tipping his head carelessly to one side. “Well, I’m glad _somebody_ does.” He sighed, suddenly spent, and pulled out his own lunch.

 

            “That’s Nonami Yubi,” you supplied as you direct Nagisa to sit in your seat while you sat on Naku’s desk. It wasn’t like he was using it what with the way he was practically draped over Onteiru’s.

            Said violet-haired male made a startled sound in his throat before swallowing around his mouthful, “Sorry.” He said and smiled apologetically at your blond charge. “I should’ve introduced myself before now.”

 

            “It’s fine,” Nagisa laughed. Then his attention was grabbed by Onteiru who was offering him a piece of her green peppers. His face wrinkled though he scrambled to hold up his hands in a mollifying manner when her face succumbed to the shadows. “I’m sorry, Tei-chan, but I hate peppers.”

 

            She fluttered her eyelashes curiously in surprise. You couldn’t tell if it was in response to the spontaneous nickname or his apparent dislike of one of her favorite foods, “Really?”

 

            Nagisa bobbed his head deeply, “And onions.”

 

            “Oh, wow. You poor thing,” she lamented before popping her veggies into her mouth.

 

            Nagisa simply smiled and turned back to you. Or rather to Nonami who regarded him rather impassively as he ate, “Have you ever noticed how similar you two look?”

 

            Your brows lifted and you glanced at Nonami just as he tipped his head back to do the same to you. You flicked your eyes over his face briefly but found nothing definitive. For one, your skin was paler and he was much smaller than you. That said nothing for hair and eye colors and even facial structures…

 

            “Both of you have really curly hair and you wear it in ponytails,” Nagisa clarified. The two of you made ‘oh’s of sudden understanding but otherwise left it at that. “Is that on purpose?”

 

           “Uh, not in the beginning though we sort of kept it that way once we became friends,” you said with a small grin.

 

            “I think that’s sort of how we became friends to begin with, wasn’t it? Since we both have naturally curly hair.”

 

            “Good to know that I lost my best friend to a hair texture,” Naku interjected scathingly. Most of the heat was missing though since his mouth was so full.

 

            “You guys were best friends?” Nagisa asked curiously as he looked between you and Naku.

 

            “We _are_ best friends,” you stress with a tired roll of your eyes.

 

            “He likes me better though,” Nonami mock-whispered to Nagisa with a snide smirk.

 

            “It’s an ongoing unnecessary debate,” you sigh when Naku starts to bristle.

 

            Nagisa laughed heartily and leaned forward. There was something about his expression that made you wary—made a slight tingle irritate the base of your neck—but you dismissed it even when the next words out of his mouth were, “Don’t you think it’s weird that both of your best friend’s names start with the same letters?”

 

            “…”

 

            “Y and N. Naku Yanagi and Nonami Yubi.”

 

            Suspicion immediately crawled over the two males faces. Nonami’s brows furrowed irritably while Naku’s twitched up in interest. Onteiru flicked her eyes to you questionably and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the thoughts flitting through their minds, “You don’t think that maybe subconsciously he just missed his old best friend so he made a new one that’s really similar to him, do you?”

 

            Before Onteiru could make Nagisa unwittingly cast anymore fuel on the fire with his musings you spoke up with a flippant wave of your chopsticks, “It’s a coincidence. I never even noticed that before.”

 

           “I don’t think so,” Nagisa teased. And you might have indulged him if the topic wasn’t such a trigger with your companions.

 

            As it was, a frown settled on your face. Onteiru marked it and smiled almost giddily at the blond, “Then what does that mean for _you_ , Nagisa-san?”

 

            And to your utter surprise, a subtle smirk curled at his mouth. It was in stark contrast with the innocent shrug of his shoulders he offered a moment later, “My last name starts with H.”

 

            No one else seemed to see anything out of place with the exchange and moved onto the next speaker seamlessly but you were stupefied. There was something about the way he said it that made your stomach flutter anxiously. It was weird and not for the first time—nor even the last though that is yet to be seen—did you wonder just what exactly you’d gotten yourself into.


	8. Causatum

            “You guys are terrible,” you accused as soon as you set foot back into your classroom after walking Nagisa back to his.

            Nonami was the only one who had the decency to look even a little bit guilty and even that wasn’t very convincing. Naku merely scoffed and plucked at the dirt caught under his nails, “Yeah, whatever. The kid totally liked us.”

            “I think he’s cute,” Onteiru commented easily as she cleared her desk of any lingering food. It’d hardly do to have it stuck all over while she was trying to take her afternoon nap.

            “That’s not the point. You guys were supposed to behave. You’re lucky he’s so informal or otherwise I’d stay mad at you.”

            “Oh, I noticed! Onteiru, did you hear what he called you?” Nonami gasped. Apparently your anger wasn’t enough to hold their attention for very long. You might have taken offense if you weren’t also interested in the current line of conversation.

            “‘Tei-chan’ I think it was,” you supplied as you claimed your seat in the middle.

            “Eeee!!!!” The raven-haired girl actually squealed. It was so unexpected that the three of you whipped your heads around to eye her ghoulishly, “I love it. And the way he says it is _adorable_ ~”

            “Oh, _God_ ,” Naku retched. “Lord, help us: she’s in love--!” You laughed even though you really didn’t want to. It ruined the whole ‘displeased’ look you were going for.

            “Don’t be foolish,” Nonami scoffed at the same time that Onteiru’s face curled playfully.

            “Oh, please, like you’re one to talk. You fall in love with every cute girl who so much as glances your way.”

            Instead of getting offended like one would expect, Naku grinned cheekily and wiggled his eyebrows, “Only ‘cause they fall for me first.”

            “Ugh! Can we _please_ change the topic?” Nonami groaned.

            “I agree,” you said and rested your cheek in your palm.

            “Whatever. Class is starting anyway,” Onteiru said with a slight huff.

            The pink tip of Naku’s tongue peeked out from between perfect lips, “You guys are just jealous.”

            Nonami scoffed so hard you thought he might choke, “Of _what_?”

            The slow curl of Naku’s lips tipped you off. You hastily interfered before he could say something stupid, “Drop it, you two. We’re finished for now.”

            You weren’t in the mood to keep playing mediator especially after the particularly grueling exerts at lunch.  
            Thankfully no one responded. You’d like to think it was because they understood you weren’t feeling it but the reality was more like the teacher had started to talk and they weren’t interested in being called out so soon. Either way, you got the reprieve you were looking for so you weren’t complaining.  
            Not that it lasted for very long mind you. It never did with friends like yours.  
            As soon as Naku was sure the teacher’s back was turned, he spun around himself. Using his hand on his chair leg as an anchor, Naku leaned diagonally towards you from where he was seated next to Nonami. The purple-haired male’s shoulders stiffened but he refrained from snapping at his raven-haired classmate as you were the focus of Naku’s attention for once and not him.

            “So,” Naku started. You glanced up from your notebook warily. He was always instigating something or another and you could tell from his tone alone that this would be another bout of it. You thought about deflecting him but to be honest, it was better to deal with it now when there was the fear of getting in trouble by the teacher than after school when emotions would be free to run wild. You were actually looking forward to tutoring Nagisa in a twisted kind of way. It meant you finally had a good excuse not to hang around with them after class. “You missed me so bad you had to find a replacement, did you?”

            You sighed and just barely resisted hanging your head. Out of everything he might have brought up about lunch—Nagisa being a boy, his quirky personality, even his strange desire to meet your friends in the first place—of course, _of course_ the egoist would chose the one about himself. And it just _had_ to be said in front of his rival, the replacement in question—of _course_ , it did—because he just couldn’t wait for a private moment to talk about that. Just couldn’t help himself.  
            Asshole.

            Intensely aware of the listening ears right in front of you, you said neutrally, “No. It’s not like that.”

            “Really? So it’s just a big coincidence then? I mean, I doubt it since we are pretty similar--”

            Nonami hissed and jerked his head minutely, “Since when have we shared _any_ similarities?”

            “I don’t know,” Naku shrugged a shoulder lightly as he flicked his eyes over Nonami’s form. Admittedly he saw nothing they could have in common but that was the point, wasn’t it? “Maybe we’re the flip sides of the same coin.”

            “You and Onteiru have more in common than you and I do and she’s a thousand times your superior.”

            Naku positively simpered. His smirk could have given the Grinch a run for his money, “You’ve always been quick to shoot down how alike we are. Now I know why. You knew all along, didn’t you?”

            “Knew _what_?” Nonami bit back sharply, each word perfectly articulated.

            Naku ignored him, “I bet it’s all in those stupid mind-reading books you read.”

            “What is?!”

            “[Name]’s subconscious decision to make friends with you. It’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, yeah, you both look a little alike so, duh, he’d be attracted to you but he stayed because of the bits of me in you.”

            Nonami couldn’t seem to decide if he wanted to be shocked or enraged by Naku’s words. You on the other hand were numbed to the absurdity. You couldn’t not hear it but you wouldn’t entertain this ridiculousness either. You were convinced that Naku was just being an asshole at this point with no real interest in Nagisa’s theory beyond its newfound ability to yank Nonami’s chain. In the end, Nonami simply straightened his back and rolled his eyes dismissively. It was the only logical thing to do in your opinion, “Clearly. Because naturally there’s no other way he could ever make friends unless they were all a little bit like you deep down inside. Narcissist.”

            Naku chuckled, “You said it. Not me.”

            “You’re impossible--”

            “You really are,” you said before Nonami could work himself up again. It was what Naku wanted after all.

            “You love me for it,” Naku grinned and winked.

            You weren’t amused, “Not this time. I meant what I said earlier. You guys are terrible.”

            “Che, whatever--”

            “Young men, it seems you know enough about this topic to talk in class. Would you care to teach?” The government teacher, a pale woman with wide hips and long wavy ivory hair, rattled reproachfully.

            “No, Ma’am. I was actually asking [Name], here, to explain it to me better since it went right over my head,” Naku lied smoothly. If you didn’t know any better you’d think he had that excuse prepared from the moment he first made up his mind to address you. Unfortunately that meant you were now in the spotlight.

            The teacher’s brown eyes slid over to you. There was a conflict there—a begrudging respect that you pointedly ignored as you shrunk in your seat, “Would you like to teach class then?”

            “No, Ma’am. I’m sure I couldn’t do it justice,” you replied without looking up. You didn’t mark your unwitting compliment until you heard those closest to you scoff.

            “Nice save,” Naku smirked though he left it at that as the aging historian was surely on her guard for your group now. Your lips wrinkled and you slumped even further into your chair as the teacher went back to her lecture, successfully appeased. Now more than ever you just wanted the day to be over so you could go home and sleep your woes away.  
            Onteiru shifted minutely beside you just enough to snag your attention. That was apparently her intention because when your eyes met hers over the swell of her bicep, they flicked down pointedly. You took her cue and cast your eyes about until you caught sight of a tiny drawstring sack filled with chocolate-covered raisins dangling between her fingers. She set them swaying and when they gained enough momentum released them into your lap.  
            It wasn’t the best apology but you would accept it if for no other reason than because you desperately needed something to make you feel better. You still ignored the lot of them when the teachers switched out. Nonami berating you for kissing up to save Naku’s ass went in one ear and out the other. Naku’s teasing for the very same would have made you angry if you hadn’t already decided to pretend they didn’t exist. When the final bell rang, you slipped between their flexing fingers like an eel and didn’t look back.

            You arrived very early to Nagisa’s classroom. It wasn’t because you were eager to get started either. Quite the opposite actually as you couldn’t wait to get home and this was your last obstacle of the day. Still, he was so happy to see you that you felt bad for not wanting to deal with him.  
            You forced yourself to smile indulgently when he trotted up to you and began to chatter away. He was mostly going on about how much he’d enjoyed lunch. Apparently Onteiru was super cute and Nonami was very refined and Naku was hilarious. Normally you were inclined to agree but today you could only see them as incorrigible brats.

            “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Nagisa-kun,” you said simply as you made your way into the library.

            “I did! It was a lot of fun! I want to do it again.” The blond headed straight for the table you’d used the last two times. You followed after him. “Oh, but then if I keep asking for that I won’t be able to choose a different prize ever, will I?”

            You settled down with a small sigh and rested your elbows heavily on the table, “No, no. You can still choose something else. I don’t think having people to eat with at lunch should be a reward. I think it’s something everyone should have anyway. It’s not good for people to be alone.”

            “Then I can come eat lunch with you tomorrow?”

            “No.”

            The crestfallen look that overtook his face was single-handedly the cutest thing you’d ever seen on another person, “What? Why? You just said--!”

            “Nagisa...” Your lips quirked despite yourself, “There’s no school tomorrow.”

            His lips remained parted though no words fell from them for a time. Then his eyebrows furrowed and his lips curled into a playful grin. A tingling sensation fluttered down your spine in response. You shook your head and rolled your shoulders unconsciously to dispel it. “That’s so mean, [Name]-chan!”

            “I’m sorry,” you offered even though you knew he was only playing with you. He laughed and you let him for a moment before tapping your fingers pointedly against the table. “Tell me what you’re working on today.”

            He seemed to hesitate before complying and pulling out his assortment of schoolbooks. You perused the worksheets for a moment—graphing inequalities in Math, research practice in Language Arts, magnets and magnetic fields for Science, and government career vocabulary for Social Studies—before sighing, “Let’s start with Math.”

            Nagisa groaned. You fixed him with a stern look and pointedly started scrawling a grid on the top of his paper, “You’re so mean, [Name]-chan.”

            You ignored him, “Show me what you learned in class.”

            He pouted and begrudgingly leaned forward, “I hate Math.”

            “That’s fairly obvious, yeah,” you remarked as you watched him begin to work out the equations with exaggerated slowness. He didn’t bother with moving _y_ and instead jumped straight into numbering the pegs on the graph, placing a one where zero should have gone and misnumbering from there. You didn’t interrupt him yet though. You wanted to see everything you needed to correct him on first.

            “How are you so good at it?”

            Your first response was to say something along the lines of natural talent but you suspected that wouldn’t suffice so instead you hummed, “It’s really just a matter of following directions. Which explains why _you_ find it so difficult.”

            “What do you mean?!” You grinned at the affronted look on his face.

            “Nothing. Only that I have to ask you to do something a thousand times and you’re still likely to ignore me unless I’m giving you something in return.” 

            “That’s not true!” He countered childishly.

            “It is too!” You insisted in the same tone. “Last time I had to dangle lunch over your head just to get you to stop asking me questions and do your work.”

            He opened his mouth to deny it but you raised your chin challengingly. His lips twitched at the corners but he ducked his head before it could ruin his façade of mock anger. You huffed victoriously and settled back into your chair. You didn't know why you felt the need to tease him so. You didn't normally find that kind of thing enjoyable. Still, his reactions were lovely. He didn't take offense to it--not really--and instead rolled with your silliness and tossed it right back. It was nice--being the one to play for once instead of constantly playing referee. You couldn't resist it. Silence reigned for a moment as you watched Nagisa plot dots on his graph. He seemed to be doing it randomly and you wondered at his failure until he voiced what had him so distracted.

            “You never did answer my question, you know.”

            “Hm?” You prompted before your brain could supply the answer for you. It wasn’t hard with a memory like yours.

            “What do you want to be when you grow up?” You’d both recited it at the same time. Nagisa grinned in response. You merely averted your eyes and wiggled your fingers nervously.

            You didn’t like talking about yourself. You didn’t like being the object of people’s thoughts. The less people knew about you, the less they could use to speculate with. You tried to deflect it, “That’s not really important right now, is it?”

            “Well, no,” he agreed with a high-pitched hum. “But I still wanna know.”

            You scratched your scalp involuntarily as you felt your patience wane. You had less of it to spare than usual considering the stresses of the day, “Why?”

            He shrugged noncommittally, “Because we’re friends and friends share their dreams with each other.”

            You hesitated.

            “C’mon!” He whined and even leaned across the table to wrap his fingers around your wrist imploringly. The heat that spread from his skin left goosebumps and you tried to subtly break away. He didn’t allow it and instead stared deeply into your eyes with bright open pink ones. His expression was innocent enough so you couldn’t fathom why a tiny warning bell in the back of your brain went off.

            You shifted uncomfortably and cast your eyes back to his horrible attempt at graphing, “Focus, Nagisa.”

            He sucked his teeth irritably but by the time your eyes flicked back up to his face he was smiling again, “I could always make it one of my rewards.”

            Your brows furrowed and a sinking feeling settled in your stomach, “…What?”

            His grin took on a more impish quality, “You promised, after all, to give me whatever I wanted if I worked hard for you.”

            “…” Your lips parted slightly in your speechlessness. He was using your own method against you. Never would you _ever_ have considered sweet little Nagisa to be an extortionist. Sure, you didn't know him very well but he just didn't look like the type. Just what exactly had you gotten yourself into?

            His magenta eyes positively glittered before the strange aura disappeared and a laugh burst from his throat, “You should have seen your face! It was hilarious!”

            “Oh,” you said simply with a strained smile. ‘ _What was that just now?_ ’

            Nagisa chuckled again and proceeded to shade in the wrong side of the line, “I wouldn’t waste a treat on that. But I still want to know so I guess I’ll just have to figure it out some other way.”

            There was something about the way he said it that convinced you you were better off telling him yourself. You didn’t know him very well but you imagined someone as unusual as he wouldn’t consider the normal avenues for procuring information...And besides, this way you could regulate what he found out rather than just leaving it to chance. You sighed and fought down the blush that wanted to take over your face as you confessed, “An animal rescuer.”

            You tried to ignore his reaction to your admission but it was impossible. He was loud.

            “Oh, my God, [Name]-chan! That’s so cute!”

            Your face wrinkled. Out of everything you expected him to say, that was on the very bottom of your list, “What?”

            His eyes were wide and excited and all thoughts of working were seemingly cast from his mind as he leaned deeply into your personal space. You held up your hands just in case you had to push him back, “What’s your favorite animal?! I love penguins--”

            “Ah--”

            “What made you decide to do that? I mean, you’re so smart I’m sure you could be anything--!”

            “Well--”

            “When I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut but then--”

            Your eyes flickered to the other occupants of the room and latched on to the excuse with gusto, “Nagisa, please. We’re still in the library, remember?”

            He hesitated. Before he could get started all over again, though, you interjected, “Besides, being an astronaut means a lot of Math and Science so let’s get to that, yeah?”

            “Awww.” He pouted and dropped back into his seat at your prompting. Your request didn’t subdue him for long though. A smile seemed to be his favorite accessory, “I bet it’s a rabbit.”

            You might have questioned what made him think so but you knew that would just throw the two of you down another tangent and really, you didn’t have time for that so you hummed agreeably and set about showing him the correct way to solve his math problems.  
            It was tedious. Math really wasn’t his strong suit. But eventually he felt comfortable enough with the process that you were able to move on to Language Arts and Social Studies.  
            You had him compare his textbooks’ definition of his vocabulary words to the ones in the dictionary to (hopefully) show him the importance of the different connotations of the words and to get him some practice on learning how to pick out information from various sources. This seemed to be much easier than Math though he still tried to wax on about the roles the words played in history rather than trying to learn them for more practical purposes. It was a shame really. He had the potential to be an amazing scholar and yet you were forced to stunt his mental growth to help him pass a standardized test.  
           You didn’t manage to get around to magnetics by the time his phone rang. A part of you were grateful. You didn’t think you had that kind of patience. And yet you felt bad, too.  
            Nagisa, though he complained about the activity, seemed to genuinely enjoy your company. Or at the very least he preferred it to going home. You knew it was that time because as soon as he saw who was calling, all the life seemed to drain from his body; his countenance dusted with a deep pain. You’d marked it the last two times, too, but you’d assumed he was just tired. Now, however, you suspected something different.  
            He didn’t answer the phone. Instead he waited for it to stop ringing before flipping it open to tap in a few words. A frown pulled heavily at the corner of his mouth as he did so. Your heart ached. You didn’t like that look. It made you even more uncomfortable than those odd bursts of otherness you picked up from the blond every once in a while. It was the same sort of defeated look you’d seen on him the first time you’d met—before you’d started to break through it and unlock the true nature of his personality.  
            You wanted desperately to prolong his joy, to give him something to smile about even as he left to face whatever made him so sad at home. You struggled to come up with an offering though and instead prompted _him_  to do so, “It’s that time, huh?”

            “Yeah.” He tried to smile but it wobbled.

            You stomped down on your panic and smiled as brightly as you could, “You did well today. So you can pick something.”

            “…” He sat in silence for a while. It made you anxious but you assumed he was thinking so you kept your peace. Nagisa turned his phone around in his hands a couple times before glancing up at you hesitantly through long dark lashes. A faint blush covered his cheeks and you marveled at what it did for his appearance before his words drew your attention. “Can I have your number?”

            You blinked in surprise. Really, this boy was full of them, “Why would you want that?” Surely he didn’t mean for you to tutor him even on the weekend?

            His lips curled up and he chuckled as if your inner thoughts had been spoken out loud to the room at large. You smiled a little. At least you’d gotten him to laugh, “So I can talk to you even when we’re not at school. Duh.”

            You rolled your eyes. The one time you presumed he had some elaborate meaning for wanting something…, “Oh, obviously. How silly of me.”

            His grin widened and he leaned forward expectantly, “Well~?”

            “Okay, okay!” You laughed and curled your fingers imploringly. “Hand it over.”

            You tapped in your number and purposefully stressed –san behind your name before handing it back. Nagisa’s pink eyes flashed over the screen before his lips twitched minutely, “Thanks, [Name]-chan! I’ll see you Monday!”

            You closed your eyes with an amused sigh. Some battles just weren’t worth fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is taking a minute to get to the _really_ fun part for this to be a lemon but bear with me. All of this is necessary. Besides, I think interacting with Nagisa on a normal basis is kinda nice, too. ;)


	9. Home Sweet Home

            You really did go right to sleep when you went home. You were tired. You didn't want to think anymore. You didn't want to be bothered.

            Your dog, Jak, understood as much. After his initial excited rabbling was met with lackluster affection, he backed away and trailed after you as you trailed through the apartment. Your cat, Binks, wasn't so considerate. He forced his way clumsily between you and Jak, tripping the two of you up and generally demanding all the attention he believed he was due.

 

            "Later," you promised as you shut your bedroom door and collapsed on your bed.

 

             You loved your room. Time seemed to stop there. It was warm and dark and comfortable and quiet. Mostly anyway. Binks didn't take so kindly to being locked out. As soon as he realized you weren't coming back out, that you had fallen asleep without him, he started rattling outside. When his crying didn't wake you from your stupor, he started shoving his paws under the door. When even that failed, the sneaky devil actually opened the door himself by pouncing on the handle until it gave.

            You sighed in resignation but did nothing to dissuade him. Jak trotted along behind Binks when he was sure no one would be punished for bothering you. Binks leapt up onto the bed with no reservations and claimed his spot in front of your chest as usual. Jak on the other hand waited patiently on the floor. Even with your eyes closed you could feel his huge honey brown ones boring into your skin. You cracked open your own (color) ones. Jak's slim tail started swaying a little. You closed your eyes back and tapped the mattress with your palm. He took the cue happily and climbed up, settling into a big tight ball at the base of your spine, heavy neck draped over your hip.

            You fell asleep this way and didn't stir for another two hours. Binks left soon after you drifted off. He was an energetic Turkish Van that wasn't satisfied with staying still for more than a few minutes at a time. Jak remained at your side until he heard movement at the front door. His body uncurled itself as a small huff reverberated through his chest.

 

            "[Name]," your sister called as she stepped into the apartment. She had a deeper voice for a female. It gave her this regal quality that was only reenforced by her classy behavior and style of dress. "Are you he-i, Binks! How are ya?! Did you have a good day? Where's your little brother, Jak, huh?"

 

            The dog in question, though his tail started thumping happily against the bed, did not move. He wouldn't. Not until you did. You felt bad about it so you rose to your feet and dragged yourself out into the entryway, "Hi, onee-chan."

 

            The blonde turned on her heels with a small smile, Binks cradled in her arms. He resisted of course and she was forced to let him down. He wasn't the type to like being carried and coddled too much, "I knew you were here. Jak didn't come running out. Seems like you're still the favorite."

 

            You smiled a little at her teasing, "How was work?" You asked as you plopped down on the two-seater couch against the wall.

 

            "Oh, it was great," she said happily as she took off her uniform jacket and strode into the kitchen half of the room. She opened a few cabinets and pulled out tea before putting on some water to boil. "We finally found Corey a home. You remember him, right? The golden retriever?"

 

            "Yeah," you confirmed as your heart warmed. He was an older dog so no one really had any hope for him getting a family; especially with how skittish he was. His last family had abused him terribly. His collar had been so tight it'd started biting into his skin. He couldn't stand to have anything around his neck anymore though bandanas and scarfs seemed okay. It was heartbreaking to see such a big dog as scrawny as he was. It took a lot of work to get him up into a normal weight range. He wouldn't eat in the beginning. Your sister suspected he'd been punished for doing so before. You thought it was more like he'd given up on living and didn't see a point in trying to save himself. Still, the workers at the rescue center have been handling situations like his for years and with lots of patience and affection, he'd come around. "Who are they?"

 

            "A chemical engineer. He's so into his work that he can't really keep up with any human relationships so he decided he'd adopt a dog."

 

            You frowned, "You're not worried he's going to experiment on him?"

 

            Tairoi smiled indulgently, "We don't just hand over pets to any random person, [Name]. You know that. Don't worry. He'll be alright."

 

            "If you say so..."

 

            "I do," she said and turned back around to start rummaging through the refrigerator. "Hungry?"

 

            "Not really."

 

            She made a small sound in her throat and tilted her head, "Really?"

 

            "Yeah. I'm fine."

 

            She frowned and turned back to you, almond eyes churning thoughtfully, "Are you really? You've been tired lately. You're always asleep when I come home and now you don't want to eat. Is something bothering you? Are you sick?"

 

            "No," you tried to reassure her. "I always take naps when I come home from school and it's not strange to not want to eat every now and then..."

 

            She put her hands on her wide hips and shifted her weight to one side, "[Name], you're a teenager. You're supposed to be hungry all the time. In fact, you _are_ hungry most of the time. What's wrong?"

 

            "Nothing."

 

            "You can tell me, you know," she goaded gently and crossed the room to sit next to you. You forced yourself not to move away.

 

            " _Nothing_. Really."

 

            She gazed at you for a long moment before sighing dejectedly, "You really are a teenager now. Don't even want to talk about your feelings anymore..."

 

            Your lips quirked at her melodrama, "It's nothing like that. I'm just tutoring a kid in school and it's more draining than I thought it would be." You tilted your head and frowned. That wasn't right. You'd expected your student to trouble you more than anything. However Nagisa for all his stubbornness and short-sightedness wasn't really what was bothering you. "Well, actually it's exactly as draining as I thought it would be it's just not coming from where I expected." You amended. It was still vague but a little closer to the mark.

 

            Your sister hummed as she rose to go prepare herself something to eat. She continued to listen ardently as you waxed over Nagisa and his situation and waned over Naku and Nonami whose fighting would surely increase now that Naku had regained his footing, "It's only been a week so I don't know if he's improving at all but I hope he is because I really don't want to have to do this all year long. I don't see how they can expect someone else to be responsible for another person's success in school especially when I'm not even qualified. They just told me I'm going to do this and-and---I'm _tired_ of being in the middle of everything. Nonami and Naku always put me in the middle no matter how much I try to stay out of it. It's gotten so bad that Nonami's mad at me most times because I won't jump in to defend him." You complained, remembering that phone call two days ago when you'd asked for his help with Nagisa's request. "I didn't ask for that. I don't _want_ to be the problem-solver for problems I didn't start! I just want to go to school and go home and sleep."

 

            You kept ranting and raving--even more than what was summarized above--so long that your sister was able to finish prepping, cooking, and serving her food onto plates. When you realized, you winced and apologized half-heartedly, "Sorry..."

 

            She only smiled and made her way over, "You feel better, don't you?"

 

            "...Yeah."

 

            "Then it's fine." You wrinkled your nose when she returned to the couch with two servings in her hands. Just because you were feeling better didn't mean you wanted to eat. Her smile was unrelenting though and the harsh quality she weaved into it broke your resolve. You took the plate. "It sounds to me like you just need a break."

 

            "...I don't understand," you said. How was a break going to fix anything? If they acted this terribly with you around, how much worse would it be without you moderating it?

 

            "Sometimes it is possible to have too much of a good thing. You love your friends but they're stressing you out. I think you need to distance yourself from them for a while and rejuvenate."

 

            You frowned deeply at the bitter taste that filled your mouth, "But won't that hurt their feelings? I can't tell them that."

 

            "Not if you explain it correctly. Everybody needs time to themselves every once and a while. Good friends will understand that."

 

            "...I don't think they will," you shook your head. Naku, you were sure, would just laugh you out and try to do it more just to spite you. Onteiru wouldn't show it but she'd take it super personally even though she wasn't the one directly responsible. She tended to suffer in silence--permeating the air with negative energy until you could scarcely breathe. Nonami would just flip his shit in the most passive-aggressive manner he could manage. That or he'd go into denial or start blaming other people which would only make everything worse..."I don't think they're bad because of it but just...No." You shook your head.

 

            "Then don't tell them," Tairoi said in response to your expression. "Just do it."

 

            You sighed, "I don't think it'll work out like you think it will."

 

            "Oh? And how do you know it'll work out the way _you_ imagine?"

 

            "Because they're my best friends and I know them." Tairoi tilted her head as she reluctantly conceded her point. "...Sorry...I know you were only trying to help."

 

            "It's okay, [Name]. You just want to wallow in your miseries for a few moments. It's not a bad thing." She added when your eyebrows crinkled indignantly. "It's good to acknowledge negativity and to accept it every now and then. You don't build up a whole lot of it that way."

 

            You sighed exasperatedly, "You and Nonami really need to stop digging so much into human behavior patterns..."

 

            Tairoi burst into laughter, "Oh, dear! If only I'd gotten that from researching it! Maybe then you'd be less critical." You pouted. "There's this thing called 'experience', [Name], that you are sorely lacking."

 

            " _How_?" You stressed. After all, your life hasn't been easy until about four years ago. You were inclined to believe you'd experienced quite a lot.

 

            Tairoi smiled and patted your head, "Don't worry. You'll get some eventually and I have a feeling you're going to be one of those hard learners like that one you're tutoring."

 

            "You shouldn't jinx it from the start," you complained.

 

            "Sorry, but it's not a jinx when it's already an absolute certainty."

 

            The expression on your face amused her to no end.


	10. Day Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! It's been a minute, I know, but this chapter is nice and long for you so enjoy! ;)

            Days always started early in your sister’s apartment. She had to be at work at seven in the morning so from four thirty to around six, you could mark her progress through her morning routine. Actually Tairoi herself was pretty quiet. She didn’t like to disturb your sleep so what you really heard was Binks. The second he realized someone else besides him was awake, he started tripping over himself, demanding affection and food and play time. In his pursuit, he knocked into candles and hair products and even that annoying spring that stopped doors from smacking the walls. Jak naturally responded to Binks’ energy but he was much more aware of his body movements despite being so much larger.

            Usually once Tairoi left, they bemoaned her departure for maybe ten minutes before quieting enough to let you go back to sleep. Even as you heard her moving around the house, though, you were mentally preparing yourself to get up. You kept telling yourself in ten, five, one more minute you’d start getting ready but when the house quieted, you dozed off.

            You didn’t have to start getting ready for class until around seven…

            …but you didn’t have school today!

            At around 10:26 you woke with a start and frowned deeply--you were late!

            The scowl remained as you brushed your teeth and took a shower and scarfed down a quick breakfast.

            You were irritated.

            Tairoi knew the routine—knew you loved to accompany her on your days off. Why wouldn’t she wake you? Now you’d missed just about everything from the morning feedings to the walks. Granted there was still play time and bathing and grooming but none of that took away from the fact that half the day was already over.

            You threw your hair up into a careless bun and snagged your jacket, keys, and phone before fastening on Jak’s harness.

            It wasn’t a far walk as it was slightly under a mile and a half from your house. If you were lucky, you could get there around noon.

            Of course, luck wasn’t something you could usually count on and your phone started chiming even before you left the house. You were of the mind to just ignore it. In fact, the first two times you did. But after the third your patience thinned a little and you ripped your phone from your pocket.

            The number was unfamiliar which took away most of your irritation. Curious and not just a little wary, you hesitantly brought the phone up to your ear, “Hello? Who is this?”

 

            That was what you’d started to say but the person on the other line started speaking as soon as they heard the first syllables in your voice.

 

            “ _[Name]-chan! Hi!_ ”

 

            “Nagisa-kun?” Your brow started to twitch until you remembered he’d indeed asked for your number the last time you’d seen him. “Uh…Hi! How are you?”

 

            “ _Oh, I’m great! I finished all my homework so I thought we could hang out!_ ” Your brows shifted. Jak gazed up at you warily as you’d paused halfway through lowering a baseball cap onto your head. He probably thought you didn’t mean to take him out anymore. To assuage his worries you made a point of quickly leaving the house.

            Still, you couldn’t believe Nagisa’s words. It took four hours just to review the material he learned in class even with you helping him. Granted you weren’t the best teacher around but still: how could he have finished all his work overnight? _You_ hadn’t even gotten around to yours yet.

            And he wanted to hang out? Now? You grimaced and tried to come up with an excuse but he was still talking. In truth he’d never stopped since he’d first responded to your messy greeting. “ _I kinda jumped the gun a little bit though, huh? Sorry! How are you? Are you busy?_ ”

 

            “Um...,” you glanced down at the dog at your side. “A little.”

 

            “ _Aww~_ ” He lamented. You could imagine the adorable arch of his brow and the way he might purse his lips in a pout. It made you feel guilty. “ _For how long?_ ”

 

            “All day actually. I’m sorry.”

 

            An unhappy silence settled over the line. You tried not to give into it. Eventually Nagisa spoke up, “ _…Is it an errand? Maybe I can help you with it and then we can hang out after?_ ”

 

            You felt your lips quirk up into a smile, “That’s very sweet of you, Nagisa, thanks but it’s nothing like that.”

 

            “ _Then what is it?_ ”

 

            “I’m just going to my sister’s job to help out a little--”

 

            “ _Can I come?_ ”

 

            That pulled you up short and you found you could only stare at the path in front of you until you remembered you needed to answer, “ _Why_?”

 

            He made a small undecipherable sound, almost like he was confused. But how could that be? _He_ was the one not making any sense. “ _Because you said I get to choose a reward if I worked hard and I did._ ”

 

            You might have smacked your forehead if you weren’t in the middle of a sidewalk surrounded by people, “That doesn’t apply outside of school…”

 

            “ _Why not?_ ” He countered swiftly. “ _It’s schoolwork, isn’t it?_ ”

 

            Your brows furrowed, “Well, yes--”

 

            “ _And you’re my tutor and we usually go over stuff after school is already over anyway so why not?_ ” You didn’t answer right away. There was nothing to really say. He’d won and both of you knew it. You sighed.

 

            “You’ve got a point but--”

 

            “ _Then where are you?_ ” He was so excited, you could barely get the words out. “ _I can meet you there no problem_.”

 

            You dodged his question with another of your own, “Are you sure you want to? I mean I’m just going to be working all day. Why don’t you choose something you’ll actually enjoy?”

 

            “ _I did. But you’ve got plans already._ ”

 

            Ah. Right. Well, “Why not choose something else or wait until I’m _not_ busy to cash out?”

 

            “ _Because I don’t want to._ ” It was such a simple answer you almost laughed. You weren’t sure what to make of it. Was this boy really so uncomplicated?

 

            You closed your eyes briefly and breathed through your nose lightly. It didn’t matter either way. If Nagisa wanted to tag along and watch you scoop up poop all day that was his choice. You’d already given him fair warning, “Okay. Meet me at the animal shelter.”

 

            “ _Really?!_ ” Clearly he expected a little more protesting from you. Somehow that made you happy knowing he didn’t see you as the complete pushover your friends did.

 

            “Yeah. You know the one I’m talking about? The one behind the police station?”

 

            “ _No, but I can find it_ ,” he promised before you could even think about feeling anxious on his behalf.

 

            “Okay. Let me know when you’re there.”

 

            “ _Okay~! See you in a bit, [Name]-chan!_ ”

 

            “Bye, Nagisa-kun,” you made to respond but the blond had already hung up. You sighed and locked down everything on your person before turning to Jak. The German Shepherd-Doberman mix gazed back up at you expectantly. You smiled lightly and bent down to cradle his head in your palms as you kissed his head. “Let’s go, Jak. We’re running late.” He wagged his tail a little before trotting at your side when you started fast-walking.

 

            It was always a funny thing to go out with Jak. He was so big that most people instinctively coiled away from him except for the people who recognized him. They tended to coo or smile in passing. In this way it was easy to tell a familiar apart from a stranger.

            The closer you got to the animal shelter, the fewer buildings (and consequentially people) you saw. The scenery divulged into grassy, flowery lawns and dense trees broken only by tiny parking lots filled with police cars.

            You were sweating a little by the time you rounded the police station and found yourself on a lonely street home to only one rather large facility.

            It was a sprawling one-story complex with lots of color and lots of windows on the east sides of the building. It reminded you honestly more of a child’s playhouse than a professional animal center but you supposed that was the point.

            The inside was a bit more clinical. There weren’t as many cartoonish posters or cutesy banners. There were brochures and pamphlets lining one section of the small seating area. Magazines were layered artfully on an unobtrusive coffee table. A water machine gurgled behind the welcome desk manned by two employees.

            The woman didn’t immediately notice you. She was assiduously typing away at a computer. Her companion however glanced over subconsciously only to sit up a little straighter when he recognized you, or rather your companion, “Baby Jak! How are ya?”

 

             There was a sudden tug against the harness. Jak was turning excitedly in tight circles. At 84 pounds he could have easily dragged you if he wanted but he didn’t so you indulged him. His hind legs started scrabbling against the floor as he used his front paws to lean over the desk. You grinned a little at the couple’s resulting disapproving wails.

 

            “Aww! Jak! Come on, now! You know better!” Chided the woman as she rushed to move her papers out of the way.

 

            The male who’d first called out withdrew now in a similar manner, leaning away and snapping his wrists the way you’d seen your female classmates do, “Oh, no, Baby Jak! You mustn’t! Yer makin’ a mess!”

 

            “Alright, Jak, that’s enough,” you said half-heartedly as you pulled almost imperceptibly on the leash wrapped around your wrist. “Tell Miss Uimen and Grandpa Ginsei you’re sorry.”

 

            The mixed breed backed off obediently and turned his attention to his surroundings as Ginsei went to procure water for him, “Hey, there, [Name]-dear. Didn’t think you were comin’ t’day when we saw Taroi-kun waltz in without ya. What happened? Overslept?”

 

            And just like that, your irritation was rekindled.

 

            “ _No_ ,” you only just barely kept yourself from snapping. “Well…kinda…” you amended when he raised a sharply manicured brow dubiously. He burst out laughing at your unwilling admission. You clenched your jaw and stubbornly attempted to steamroll passed the conversation. “Where is my sister anyway?”

 

            “In the kittens’ playroom,” Miss Uimen supplied helpfully.

 

            “Thanks. C’mon, Jak.”

 

            You strolled purposefully down one of the many halls. Jak kept his nose to the ground, ears pricked, as you led him along. You wondered if he could smell Tairoi on the tiles--if he was actively searching for her because he knew that was what you wanted. You wouldn’t be surprised. He’d always been attuned to you even if you didn’t factor in his considerable intelligence.

            Muted animal sounds drifted from behind closed glass doors. Playrooms, training areas, doctors’ offices, holding areas… most of them were off limits to you, of course. You weren’t an employee after all even if you did frequently volunteer. Thankfully those places were grouped together and tossed far away from where normal visitors wandered, secured even further by locked doors and deterring signs and posters.

            When you turned down into the felines’ wing, Jak started huffing and pulling a little on the leash. You let him guide you to the playroom’s double doors. From within you could hear the rhythmic tinkling and rattling and thumping of numerous bells and balls and kitten paws skittering across the floor. It was _much_ louder once you stepped inside and now you could hear the irritated mewls and rumbling growls that came with kittens at war with one another. It was all in good fun until someone found the mouse filled with catnip.

            Naturally the kittens closest to the door totally freaked out when a huge brown muzzle moved through the door instead of the human legs they were expecting. Jak was no threat to them though. In fact, he got along better with cats and their babies than he did with other dogs. Not surprising considering his history but still.

            Tairoi looked up from where she was sitting in the middle of the room, flicking a featherwand in one hand as she cradled three kittens in her other. Her narrow brown eyes brightened and she inclined her head, “Hey, [Name]! What are you doing here?”

 

            “What kind of question is that?” The words burst forth before you could come up with something nicer. “I always come with you on weekends.”

 

            “You do,” she allowed. Despite the patient tones of her voice, you marked the tiny subtle rebuke. You winced and curled in a little on yourself despite your growing ire. She had yet to explain herself after all and you honestly felt you were owed some sort since she’d broken the routine. “But I figured you could use a day of rest. You’re tired, [Name].”

 

            “I’m tired of _school_. Not this,” you countered in a much more mindful tone. “ _This_ is fun. _This_ is my escape--”

 

            “It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, you know.” Oh, wow, she was _still_ on that? You huffed exasperatedly.

 

            “That’s usually when that thing is getting in the way of something--”

 

            “Like proper rest--”

 

            “By relieving stress?” You chirped indignantly. Silence—or as much as could be obtained with little ones running around—stretched for the duration of Tairoi’s unwavering gaze. You met her as evenly as you could. Doing this with her always left you feeling hopelessly exposed but you needed her to understand. “Come on, onee-chan…”

 

            “…” You didn’t know what she saw but you knew she saw something. There was clearly something she wanted to say, too, but she wasn't going to share it. A few moments later she squared her shoulders and looked away--down to the kittens wriggling in her palms. You sighed and slumped your shoulders.

 

            “Great. Now _I_ feel like the asshole,” you murmured under your breath. The small quirk in Tairoi’s lips suggested she might have heard though she didn’t backtrack.

 

            “Well, since you’re here, you can help socialize these three while I get started on the mommy-cats.”

 

            Your focus shifted immediately upon hearing her verdict. This was what you came for, after all. This was what you wanted.

            Tairoi rose easily to her feet. The kittens in her possession dug their claws into her sweater desperately in response to the sudden movement. Subconsciously you adjusted Jak’s leash and reached out your hands. She relinquished them to you delicately one by one. The first squeaked fearfully when your sister held it out. You quickly drew it close to your form to ease its nerves.

 

            “They’re very small,” you comment thoughtfully as you examined the babe: gray with white stockings. It was so light you wouldn’t have registered it at all if not for the soft brushes under your chin as soft and subtle as a cottonball. “Should they be away from their mother yet?”

 

            “Their mother died,” Tairoi explained with a wince. The other two, in response to the first kitten’s cry, were putting up a bit of a fight...“We’re handfeeding them since there are no other available nursing mommy-cats.”

 

            “Where’re they from?”

 

            “We got them this morning from a hoarder. Four pregnant moms and two more with a litter already born each.”

 

            “Wow.”

 

            “Exactly.” She forcefully dislodged the one trying to make an escape down her back and held it out. The last one hissed at her as she cradled it in her palms. You grinned at the light tap Tairoi gave to its head with her index finger in response before accepting this one against your unoccupied shoulder. You met Jak’s eyes as he extended his nose as best he could up your torso.

 

            “You see the kitty-kitties?” You cooed to him. He tossed his head and huffed. Tairoi giggled and dropped her hand over your baseball cap as she eased her way out of the room.

 

            “Let me know when they’re done so I can send someone to help you clean up. You know where the other ones go but put those three back in their carrier. They’re not ready yet to stay in here with the rest of them.”

 

            “Mkay,” you murmured distractedly. It really wasn’t so easy to keep track of three distressed kittens when you only had two hands especially when one of those was weighed down by a large dog.

 

            Sitting down helped. It gave Jak more room to wander even if he wouldn’t stray far. He was too interested in the kittens swarming you and even more so on the ones apparently deemed special. He wanted to know what made them so and made a show of poking and prodding them with his muzzle. They didn’t appreciate it much but that was the point. They needed to see and experience as much as they could to be ready for a home. Or rather another more appropriate one.

            The other kittens weren’t so pleased with this development. They remembered you. A lot of them had been tiny too when you first started working with them and they didn’t enjoy being put aside so unceremoniously. They mewled and cried and darted across your lap in bouncing blurs of orange, brown, and black until you relented and took up the featherwand your sister had abandoned. Now you knew what it was for.

             When your phone went off, it didn’t startle just the kittens in your arms. Honestly you were so wrapped up in your task you nearly forgot Nagisa was supposed to be joining you. It took a great deal of maneuvering to wrangle your cell from its pocket. You only just caught it before it stopped.

 

            “Hi, Nagisa. You here?”

 

            “ _Yup! Where are you? I don’t—_ "

 

            “You’re gonna have to come in,” you answered shortly. The ringtone had garnered no small reaction and you were having a bit of trouble keeping track of the sudden flurry of motion.

 

            “ _[Name]-chan, are you okay?_ ”

 

            “Yeah, fine. I’m a just a little…agh,” you gasped as you tried to hold the phone to your ear with your shoulder. Trouble was a kitten was steadily scaling your chest to get exactly there and you couldn’t risk tapping the speaker button lest the one nestled in your elbow and the other restrained by your hand took your moment of weakness to bolt. “My hands are full. Just—just tell the front desk workers you’re here to volunteer with me and they should let you in. Ahm, actually just put me on speaker and I’ll tell them for you. Easier that way…”

 

            “ _Okay_ ,” he chirped. In the background you could hear what sounded like a car engine restart followed by some muffled speaking before the sounds disappeared in favor of hurried footfalls.

 

            “ _Hi!_ ” You could hear the bright grin he flashed and knew then and there that he’d managed to charm Grandpa Ginsei. “ _I’m here to see [Name]-chan._ ”

 

            “ _And who’re you?_ ”

 

            “ _Nagisa Hazuki. I have him here on the phone if you want to talk to him--_ ”

 

            “Hey. It’s okay. You can send him back,” you spoke up suddenly.

 

            “ _Does he have any paperwork authorizing permission to volunteer?_ ”

 

            “It’s not like that,” you reassured Miss Uimen.

 

            “ _Then as a visitor I’m afraid I can’t allow him to wander around. Only volunteers can go back with the animals._ ”

 

            “ _I’m not a visitor! I mean, I’m not a volunteer either I just wanna see how it’s done before I commit to anything. That’s allowed, right?_ ”

 

            Your lips twisted at how easily the story came to the blond. On the one hand, he sounded positively adorable delivering it but on the other, you suddenly wondered how many of his innocent ramblings had truly been what they’d appeared.

 

            “…” On a different note it didn’t count as a lie if you only provided logical reasoning, right? You didn’t like to tell those but you’d feel even worse if Nagisa made it all the way here only to have to turn back around even if he had invited himself along. “You never want to trick anyone into doing work they’re not cut out for.”

 

            The resulting contemplative silence was miniscule and yet it seemed to drag on for much too long. Nagisa couldn’t stand it and divulged into whining, “ _Please? Just for today? I promise I won’t mess up anything. I’ll stay with [Name] the_ whole _time!_ ”

 

            “… _You stick to him like glue, understand? We don’t need no funny business lest someone gets hurt._ ”

 

            “ _Sure thing, oji-san!_ ”

 

            “ _Right. Well, come on then. [Name]-dear, you’re still in the playroom?_ ”

 

            “Yeah. Be careful when you come in. There’s a couple eyeballing the door as if they want to try it…” You advised before the kitten finally managed to successfully dislodge your phone. You sighed but didn’t bother trying to retrieve it. Grandpa Ginsei could handle things from there.

 

            You tried to reason with yourself over your sudden nervousness. It was just Nagisa after all. You saw him every day after school. He wasn’t a stranger or a threat or anything like that. He even ate lunch with you yesterday and he seemed perfectly okay finding things to talk about outside of class. In fact that’s all he ever wanted to do which would have been fine if you weren’t rather uninteresting and unremarkable outside of school.

            You didn’t do much. You didn’t particularly like much. You weren’t great at anything cool and your hobbies were pretty generic.

            You didn’t think you could entertain him for very long and you didn’t want him to think anything bad about you because of it. Not in the least because it would make working with him more difficult.

            Maybe if you were more like Naku—a little scatterbrained and vulgar but Nagisa’d enjoyed him—or Nonami. He was well-versed in more practical topics and could easily engage a person in long conversations. You, if you attempted such, typically ended up ranting or lecturing and you’d learned the hard way people weren’t usually interested in the things you had to say anyway. But what would Nagisa want to talk about?

            Before long you could hear them making their way down the hall. Nagisa’s chattering drifted through in equal measure to Grandpa Ginsei’s. You couldn’t hear what they were talking about—the words were too muffled—but it must’ve been good. You hoped it wasn’t about you.

 

            “And here we are,” you heard the older man say as the door cautiously slid open.

 

            You glanced up, heart hammering heavily in your chest as a smaller blond figure peaked in. You offered a polite grin when a smile immediately burst forth on his cherubic face.

 

            “[Name]-chan!” He started to say but immediately got distracted by the kittens dashing about. “Oh, wow--”

 

            You didn’t hear the rest of what he’d said. You were distracted. Curiosity temporarily overwhelmed your anxiety and you found you could only stare.            

            He looked so charming outside of school!

            You didn’t know how severely the all black uniform hampered his sunny appearance when you could see him decked out in bright pastel colors. The teal camouflage shorts he wore were tighter than usual for their style but he didn’t seem to mind and they didn’t impede his movement at all despite the distracting creases formed at his crotch and upper thighs whenever he moved. If the shorts were too small then the salmon pink hoodie was just a smidge too big. It gathered at the elbows and the wrists and made him look smaller than he was. The shade was a bit too pale to complement his eyes though it did do an excellent job of drawing your attention to them. You couldn’t bring yourself to look into them.

            It wasn’t like his loveliness was a particularly new discovery. You’d observed as much from the beginning. It was part of what made you want to actually try helping him—how cute he looked when a spark was lit under his seat. You supposed the glaring difference was the setting.

            At school, your mind had steered you passed it to focus on more important things. Now there wasn’t anything important to obsess over. No school. No homework. No food. No nothing. It was just you and him, a few dozen kittens, and your own frantically twisting nerves and Jesus were they twisting.

            Nagisa was making a sharp beeline for you. There was nothing predatory in his approach, no smolder in his eyes, no danger in his form. You were willing to bet he wanted nothing more than to invade your personal space as he usually did and yet something about it screamed at you to flee. You knew what it was when it started warming up in your lap. Terror locked your stomach in a vice as a result. You stamped down viciously on the embarrassment that threatened to overtake your pallor. It would only give you away and you didn’t want to risk looking like a creep.

            But wouldn’t you look like a creep anyway? After all you’d just blatantly checked him out. The _least_ you could do was make eye contact afterwards…But how could you when you were--

 

            “Have fun!”

 

            “Thanks, Grandpa Ginsei.”

 

            You wished he’d stayed longer. It might have awarded you some time to compose yourself.

 

            “Whoa, [Name]-chan! You look so different outside of school. I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re so cute!”

 

            You blinked; temporarily pulled out of your thoughts--pleased at the compliment and worried by it all the same. He shouldn’t be looking at you. Not now. Look away, Nagisa. “…Thanks. I was…kinda thinking the same thing about you.”

 

            He was getting closer to you. Too close. You were blushing. You had to be. You weren’t even sure how you managed to maintain eye-contact up til now--

            A sharp loud angry bark made you nearly jump out of your skin.

            Nagisa yelped.

            The kittens damn-near burst into a frenzy.

            The ones not in your grasp scattered like the wind to the far corners, trying desperately to find a hiding space.

            Jak.

            You’d forgotten about him, he was being so quiet.

            That should have tipped you off considering he was usually pretty busy. You were willing to bet your own overreacting had only made the situation more stressful for the poor thing. He could tell you weren’t comfortable around Nagisa and that was more than enough to encourage Jak to try to chase him away.

            Instinctively you scrabbled at Jak’s harness until the leash trickled down into your palm. A sharp tug combined with a firm call of his name had his tall ears flicking back in acknowledgment though he didn’t break his focus on the blond. He still thought he was doing what you wanted. You needed to fix that.

            Forcing yourself to breathe calmly despite the dangers of this situation—your hands were still full, Nagisa was likely panicking, Jak was on edge, and you weren’t strong enough to subdue him if he decided he really wanted to tear into the blond--you tried again. This time you halted your voice in a familiar disapproving sound before calling his name, “ **Jak**. **Come** **here**.”

 

            His ears fell back again and stayed there. His muscles jerked as he unwillingly turned partially away to fall back irritably against your side, “ **Lay** **down**.”

 

            He huffed defiantly but did as you said. Usually he settled down completely—stretched out, tongue lolling, tail swishing, head rolling. This time he remained firmly on his stomach, his head raised high and watchful. His lips still curled back faintly as fierce growls still rumbled from his throat but you’d largely reigned him in. As long as Nagisa didn’t do anything to provoke him, he’d be fine. Speaking of, “Nagisa, sit down.”

 

            You finally looked up and watched him slowly if not fearfully follow your instructions. You tried to smile reassuringly. It seemed to work. The distressed tilt in his brows lifted a little and he chanced, “What’s wrong with him?”

 

            “Nothing,” you said confidently. “He just doesn’t like strangers. It’ll make him feel better if you’re not towering over me.”

 

            A small unexpected grin flitted to Nagisa’s lips then. His gaze shifted boldly to meet Jak’s. It wasn’t a good idea. Any person with any experience with dogs knew that. You started to warn him about it especially since Jak’s hackles had risen. The blond, though, taking more confidence from your words than he should, merely grinned wider. Subconsciously you redoubled your grip on his leash and opened your mouth to warn the second-year. He was already moving though and you might have yelled at him to stop if you weren’t so surprised by what he was saying, “I’m not a stranger though. Me and [Name]-chan are really good friends. We hang out at school and he helps me with homework. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you or your daddy, okay?”

 

            And instead of reaching towards Jak like an idiot, Nagisa lowered himself onto all-fours. Jak, just as astonished by this turn of events as you were, flicked his ears forward curiously and tilted his head. You wanted to laugh _so_ badly but you refrained. The sound would surely do more harm than good right now. Still there was no muting the huge smile taking over your face. Nagisa’s pink eyes flickered up just in time to catch it and his own lips quirked into something you could only describe as a sensual smirk, “I like him.”

 

            Your heart stuttered. The way he’d said it—it was so confusing. Was he still talking to Jak? No, he couldn’t be. If he was, that meant he’d said…And while that by itself wouldn’t be bad, combined with the look on his face…No. _No_. Best to ignore it. He wasn’t even looking at your dog anymore. He was talking to you. You smiled—unaware that it had fallen in light of his words, “Thanks.”

 

            “How old is he?” The innocent expression was back. Did it ever leave? You always felt like your mind was playing tricks on you when you noticed a difference. You were certainly high-strung enough for that to be a possibility.

 

            You sighed and forced those thoughts away for now. You didn’t need them, “Four. I’ve had him since he was a baby.”

 

            “Aww. Is that why he listens to you so well?” Nagisa dared to inch closer to Jak but he wasn’t having it. In response, Nagisa lowered himself even further. Down on his forearms and knees, bum raised high in the air, he might not have realized it but he was actually inviting Jak to play. Jak was hardly interested.

            Just then the door burst open.

 

            “What is going on in here? Why is Jak screaming?” A strong authoritative voice pierced through the noise like a bullet. You recognized it as Umagi’s—one of the employees usually tasked with the care of the felines. He’d developed a soft spot for Jak over the years though he’d never admit it as a dedicated cat-lover. His gray eyes swiftly surveyed the room—landing almost immediately on Nagisa crouched over in front of you. “Who are you?”

 

            Said male settled back easily and waved a hand in greeting, “Hi! I’m Nagisa Hazuki. [Name]-chan and I go to school together.”

 

            Umagi pursed his lips and ran his eyes over the room again, no doubt mentally chewing you out for scaring his kittens, “I take it you’re the reason Jak’s lost his temper.”

 

            Nagisa’s shoulders hiked apologetically, “Uh, yeah, sorry about that. He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

 

            Umagi hummed dismissively, “Jak will never like anybody as much as he loves [Name].”

 

            “Why’s that?” Nagisa asked innocently, inquisitive as ever. Predictably all eyes turned to you--Nagisa because he was curious no doubt; Umagi because the answer was common knowledge and he couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t told your friend.

 

            Of course, the simple truth was that it was none of his business. Friends or not, he didn’t need to know all the details of your life story. Not if it was only for the sake of being nosey and certainly not concerning things from so long ago.

            In any case, his interest seemed rather shallow—intended to keep the conversation flowing rather than any real desire to know. Maybe if you played it off well enough, Nagisa would leave it alone, “That’s just the way he is. Jak doesn’t usually let people so close to him the first time he meets you. Please, be careful, Nagisa,” you warned when he inched even closer.

 

            At this point you felt he was pushing his luck. Trained or not, you didn’t overestimate a dog’s obedience.

            Except Nagisa wasn’t trying to make friends with Jak anymore. He was crawling towards you.

            It was uncomfortable, having his unwavering focus locked on your form the way it was.

            You needed to say something. You needed to shatter this atmosphere but how did you do that without triggering Jak’s aggressive nature? (1)

            Your exchange was a little more than Umagi was willing to put up with at the moment, “You can deal with Jak later. Right now, I’m busy.”

 

            He was irritable if the snappy response was any indication. That was unusual for him. You suspected the stress from managing the animals rescued overnight was getting to him. They weren’t usually very cooperative when they first came in especially not as new moms. Even still, you couldn’t figure out what that had to do with you and your tone was a little tepid when you replied, “Sorry for bothering you then.”

 

            “You didn’t. Not really. Just came to see if you needed any help per Tairoi’s request and clearly you don’t,” he said, gesturing towards Nagisa…who was still making his way cautiously towards you. Damn. “You should start putting them away though. It’s lunch time. Your sister will expect you up front.”

 

            “Already?” You frowned when Umagi started to turn away.  

 

            His lips quirked up fondly despite the stress lining his forehead, “Sorry, chibiko. I don’t make the rules.”

 

            “Yeah,” you conceded petulantly as you glanced down at the kittens in your arms. With a forlorn sigh you turned your attention back to your companion. “Nagisa, can you get me a brush? It should be in that drawer right under the sink.”

 

            Once again he settled back on his heels, obstructed from his original goal. His head turned to fully take in the playroom. A row of cages, like lockers only see-through, lined most of the walls. There were two sinks built in between them; a huge trashcan by the door; litterboxes tucked off in the corners; supplies stored away on shelves and drawers; toys splattered literally _everywhere_ …A few of the more adventurous kittens were starting to reemerge—batting at the toys closest to them, intent on taking advantage of the time to stretch their legs. You left them to it. It was a meticulous process to brush them down before locking them back into their cages. It was easier if they were already tired.

 

             “You must come here a lot if you know where things like this are,” he commented lightly as he retrieved the item. Jak grumbled irritably at his sudden movements. You murmured quiet praises to him to ease his suffering. It wasn’t like you could get Nagisa to tone himself down anymore than he already had. Jak would just have to make do.

 

            “Every weekend for the last four years just about.”

 

            “ _Every_ weekend?”

 

            “Yup. Unless I have something planned.”

 

            “Do you have something planned for next weekend?”

 

            You reached out for the brush when you heard his voice grow nearer. You felt the bristles settle against your palm a moment later. However, when your fingers curled around the tool, you felt tension. You glanced up in confusion, wondering why he wouldn’t let it go, but he grinned and did precisely that as if all he’d been waiting for was for you to look at him. His lips—they were smooth and looked soft and you wondered and you _shouldn’t_ —stretched wider around his grin. The way it made his eyes glitter wasn’t fair. Seeing him up close without anything putting a filter over your senses made you want and _that_ secret desire rekindling in your belly bade you hurriedly look away, “Thanks.”

 

            He settled down next to you—opposite Jak this time—and pressed in close to your side. You ordained to ignore him as best you could as you eased the first kitten into your lap to run the brush over its thin fur. It was hard. He felt nice. You willed your body not to shudder and rejoiced when you were successful.

            Silence stretched for a moment between you, interrupted only by the kitten’s sudden purring. It seemed surprised that it had done so and cried a little as if to deny that it was because you were making it feel good. You merely smiled and turned it over to get its other sides.

 

            “You never answered my question,” Nagisa suddenly whispered in your ear. It took everything you had not to leap away from him. Your muscles had already tensed in preparation though—a fact that did not go unnoticed by Jak who warbled his discontent and shifted to lay his head across as much of your lap as he could with the kitten in the way. His brown eyes glared balefully at Nagisa who poked out his tongue in response.

 

            “Don’t tease him.”

 

            He frowned at you before grunting and pressing against you even harder, his arms coiling around your bicep as he nuzzled into it. Heat flashed through your body in time with your embarrassment. It didn’t help that he smelled absolutely amazing—like his shampoo or something was disgustingly sweet but his body soap was more zesty, creating an admittedly intoxicating balance between the—but why were you smelling him? That would only make it worse!

            This needed to stop. Any moment now you would start to show. You wanted to push him away--to get some fresh air in your lungs but he wasn’t budging.

 

            “Nagisa!”

 

            “What~?!” He whined. “C’mon, I just wanna talk to you! Why’re you ignoring me?”

 

            “I-I’m _not_! Or at least I don’t mean to…” Jak’s loud bark was mere background noise against your heart pulsing in your ears. At least it wasn’t Nagisa’s breath anymore. Small mercies. “I’m just…a bit distracted--”

 

            “Well, here: let me help you.” Before you could ask him how he intended to do such a thing, he popped back up to his feet, crossed the room to get another brush, and settled down again, this time in front of you. His knees settled firmly against yours as he sat on his feet and spread his thighs, creating space between them that—when combined with your own crossed legs—formed a triangular space for the kitten he unceremoniously scooped from your elbow. When he’d settled comfortably he went back to his original topic as if this alone had solved all your problems, “We should hang out next weekend.”

 

            You sighed heavily and tilted your head to hide your reluctant grin, more concerned admittedly about his handling of the kitten staggering in the make-shift enclosure than the conversation. He didn’t seem to be as heavy-handed as you’d assumed given his personality. Granted the kitten didn’t like being woken up so abruptly but that was hardly a crime. You relaxed a little, “Are you claiming a reward before you even put in any work?”

 

            “This doesn’t count?” He quipped. You chuckled despite yourself.

 

            “No. You brought this upon yourself. Besides isn’t this what ‘very good friends’ do for each other when they need help anyway?”

 

            “So you admit we’re friends now!” He grinned, tilting his head and glancing up at you from the corner of his eyes.

 

            You shrugged noncommittally, the growing soft quirk in your mouth giving you away, “Maybe. It’s too soon to tell.”

 

           He laughed lightheartedly and turned his attention back to the task at hand. A sudden thoughtful expression shifted his countenance, “Y’know, this one reminds me of someone I know.”

 

            “Really? Who?”

 

            “Yeah, his name is Makoto. He loves cats and he’s even got green eyes like this little guy. His hair is brown, too, though maybe he’d need highlights to match the stripes.”

 

            You grinned a little, “I don’t imagine he’d want to highlight his hair just to match a kitten.”

 

            “Hey, you never know! He loves cats. I bet he’d do it.”

 

            You hummed thoughtfully at the chance to shift the conversation, “Is he a classmate of yours?”

 

            “Someday we will be!”

 

            “What’s that mean?”

 

            Nagisa chortled at some private thought as he waxed on, “We never went to school together we were just on the same swim team in grade school. I wanted to go to Iwatobi Middle—that’s where he and Haruka go; he was on the team, too—but my parents wouldn’t let me so I figured when it’s time for me to apply for high school, I’d go there so we could all swim together again. They can’t stop me then.”

 

            “Oh.” It was all you could think of to say in light of the small torrent of information. You didn’t care much about swimming but you didn’t want to stop talking either. It was a much-needed distraction. Hesitantly you asked the first of what would eventually become many questions, “Iwatobi’s a few cities over isn’t it? Is that why your parents wouldn’t let you go?”

 

            “Mostly. But it’s not as good a school as Tirozu so when I had the option to go my parents enrolled me for this one instead.”

 

            “Makes sense,” you conceded. It wasn’t what Nagisa wanted to hear.

 

            His thick brows wrinkled and he shook his head, “Maybe but there's no swim team here. If I could swim I would be able to see them sometimes but the place we used to go doesn’t offer the same program anymore.”

 

            “Why not?”

 

            He shrugged, “New owner? I don’t know. My parents wouldn’t let me go anyway even if it was still going.”

 

            You didn’t like the bitterness slipping into his voice. You decided to backtrack a little, “So your best friends go to Iwatobi.”

 

            “Two of them. Rin’s away in Australia.”

 

            You blinked in astonishment, “Australia? How’d she manage that?”

 

             “He never said. I think his parents might be rich or something because I don’t know anyone from Iwatobi who’s going to let their kid go so far away just so he can swim on a good team.” 

 

             “True. That’s more common here than there. Iwatobi’s pretty small, isn’t it?”

 

            “Tiny! It’s right by the water though so they got lucky there.”

 

            “You sound like you’d fit much better there than here.”

 

            He looked up at you suddenly and you almost panicked. Was that rude? Should you apologize? Before you could decide, he’d reached across the space between you to grab your hand. You flinched and hoped you weren’t sweating. “Well…yeah, but I’ve got you now to tide me over until then, right?”

 

            “Oh.” Then your blood-starved brain caught up and you shook your head. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just…I don’t think anyone should be stuck in a place where they’re not happy that's all.”

 

            “Then you’ll help me apply for Iwatobi next year? It’d be really easy with you around. Please, say you will!”

 

            “I graduate this year.”

 

            “You won’t still be going to Tirozu for high school?”

 

            “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.” You most likely would if Tairoi could afford the tuition. You wouldn’t mind getting a part-time job if it would help things but high school really wasn’t something you were shooting for. You already had connections into the field you wanted to join and as far as you knew, it didn’t take but so much to rescue a stray dog from a sewer.

 

             “Seriously? And here I thought that was _all_ you thought about. At least now I can stop feeling bad for taking up all your time.”

 

            You had no response and so decided to focus back on your current project, “I think these two are done. Can you slide over that carrier?”

 

            Nagisa blinked his eyes and glanced in the direction you gestured to with the brush.

 

            “Aww. See you later, Mako-pi,” he cooed as he settled his kitten inside the fluff-lined cage. Yours soon followed suit and curled up nearly on top of the first. Your attention then shifted to the final kitten who’d thus far escaped unnoticed.

 

            “Here: brush him while I round up a couple more,” you instructed as you handed over the brush, wrapped Jak’s leash around the leg of a tiny examination table, and went to work.

 

            “We have to do _all_ of them?”

  

            “Well, yeah. They can’t stay out like this and who else is gonna do it?” You tossed back as you scooped up a random furball. It wasn’t hard now with so many around but soon they would catch on and start hiding from you as their numbers dwindled. The silence that settled between you was unnerving. You stuggled to break it, “...So, what’s up?”

 

             He blinked listlessly for a moment before the question caught up with him, “Not a lot. I was bored and I didn’t want to stay in the house with my sisters.”

 

            Your eyebrows rose, “I didn’t know you had sisters.”

 

             “Of course not. We never talk about anything besides school.” He didn’t sound particularly upset by this fact but you still suspected some sort of accusation was buried in there.

 

             You pursed your lips and turned your attention back to the kittens in your arms. They were getting a little fussy but their claws hadn’t come out yet, “Obviously. That’s kind of the nature of our relationship, you know.”

 

            “It doesn’t have to be.”

 

            “Which means what exactly?” You studiously ignored the sudden irrational hope budding in your gut. There was nothing there, you told yourself, confirmed by Nagisa himself when he didn’t answer your question and instead asked one of his own.

 

            “Are you sure you want to do this for a living, [Name]-chan? This is a lot of work.”

 

            “Positive. I love animals.”

 

            “I do, too, but I think I’d only be able to put in this much work if they were penguins…” he sighed tiredly as he locked his latest charge into a cage. “Do you think they have jobs like that?”

 

            “Sure. You’d be a penguin keeper.”

 

            He whipped around and cradled his fists to his chests as if just barely restraining himself from throwing himself about, “Really?!”

 

            “Yeah. They have them at zoos and rehabilitation centers and things like that.”

 

           “That’s what I want to be!” He proclaimed, a fierce tilt in his brows and a fire blazing in his eyes.

 

            Your brows skyrocketed. That had to be the quickest career decision in the history of the world, “Seriously?”

 

            “Yes!”

 

            “What happened to…” What was it? “Treasure hunting in the deep sea?”

 

            “I can still do that but maybe more like a hobby or something. Ooh, when I get to Iwatobi I should see if Haruka wants to join me! We could start a business!”

 

            “In _penguins_?”

 

            Nagisa burst out laughing, “No! In diving! He loves the water. It’s like he was made for it. You should see him swim. He’s just like a dolphin!”

 

            “I’ll take your word for it,” you said with a deep sigh as you bent down to start cleaning up all the toys strewn about the room.

 

            “Do you swim at all?”

 

            You huffed a small laugh, “Not any more than your average kid.”

 

            “What do you do then?”

 

            You stood up straight as you considered that question carefully. After a pregnant pause you hummed and went back to work, “I sleep.”

 

            “What? That’s no fun.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. His assessment was hardly groundbreaking, “You need to get out more.”

 

            “I think I get out quite a lot between here and school.”

 

            “Yeah but don’t you ever want to do anything else?”

 

            You pretended to think about it for his sake, “No. Not really.”

 

            “That settles it! We’re definitely going out next weekend!”

 

            You shook your head and stabbed your finger imperiously in his direction, “If you think you’re going to drag me all over the city--”

 

            “But it’ll be fun!” Nagisa, fine-tuned as he was to hesitation, chose this moment to launch himself at you. His arms wrapped around your chest as he pressed himself against your back. Jak started howling his outrage. You were inclined to join him, “Come on, [Name]-chan! Please? I’ll stay focused this entire week if you come!”

 

            “Where would we even be going?”

 

            “I can’t tell you.” Well, that sealed it for you. You quirked your lips wryly. “Don’t be like that. It’s a surprise. If I tell you, it’ll be ruined!”

 

            “Who says I like surprises?” You teased.

 

            “Everybody likes surprises. What do you say?”

 

            “No.” Damn it felt good to say that. Exhilarating almost. You could get used to it. You didn’t even think about it before it spilled out though. You almost wanted to take it back.

 

            “Please?”

 

            “No.” Lovely.

 

            “I’m just going to keep on asking,” he declared. To prove his point, he even hiked himself up further on your back. His blonde head peeked over your shoulder. Windows to the soul stared deeply into your own (color) eyes with sweet, bright, lively pink ones. “ _Please_?”

 

            You pursed your lips and steadfastly turned your head away. In an attempt to preserve your already crumbling resolve—you could feel it and it frustrated you to no end—you countered, “Why? I already said--”

 

            “Because we made a deal and you can’t back out of it. I won’t let you.”

 

            “So you’re going to hold me hostage?”

 

           “If I have to!” He replied immediately, tightening his grip.

 

            You hummed in wry amusement. You didn't really think him capable of subduing you and dragging you off against your will but you also didn’t want to sit through his pestering for the next week at school. Not if he was willing to do the exact opposite if you agreed.

            A whole week of taking it easy in exchange for a couple hours pretending to enjoy something you didn’t? Well, you’d done that for most of your childhood. You could do it for one more day. Easy. You’d be stupid to decline, “…Fine but I mean it, you’d better work this _entire week_ without complaining even _once_ or I’m staying here.”

 

            “You got it!” He giggled and nuzzled the back of your neck as a parting gift. “Don’t worry, [Name]-chan, you’re gonna love it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) How ironic that the thing that should have kept him away from you, was actually going to be the thing that kept you rooted instead.
> 
> It was supposed to be longer but I couldn't find a decent transition for the next bits so unfortunately the rest will have to wait until next time but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading~!


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